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Introduction to Boer War 1899 - 1902

February 2000 marks the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Paardeberg, in which Canadian soldiers participated in the winning of their first battle in the history of Canadian Arms in foreign wars.

In 1900, the soldiers of the 2nd (Special Service) Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry, took part in the battle beside the Modder River in South Africa which was named the Battle of Paardeberg. They participated with British comrades in the final assault on the Boer postition.

The Boer commander, General Cronje, surrendered to the Canadians.

On October 12, 1899, the South African, or Boer War, began. This conflict was the culmination of several years of bitter strife and controversy, as Great Britain colonized and expanded their holdings in the Cape Colony and into the neighbouring Boer States of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. This expansion was strongly resented and resisted by the Boer settlers.

When the war broke out, the Boer Commandos, as they called the units of their volunteer force, numbered about 85,000 men, against a British garrison of about 10,000.

The Boers quickly drove the outnumbered, ill-prepared and ill-equipped British troops into the towns of Ladysmith, Kimberly, and Mafeking and beseiged them, and defeated other Bristish forces at Calenso and Spion Kop.

By early 1900, reinforcements were arriving for the British forces, among them Canadians, Autralians, and New Zealanders. The British commander, Lord Roberts, began his march on Pretoria, the Boer capital, and the relief of the beseiged towns.

In all, about 8,300 Canadian soldiers were recruited for the war. Of these, about 1,000 were raised and equipped at the expense of the Canadian government.

Formed into the 2nd (Special Service) Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry, they sailed from Quebec on the SS Sardinia on October 21, 1899 under the command of Colonel Otter. This First Contigent included four nurses and about 23 surplus officers.

At the request of the British government, another 1,000 men were called to the colours to relieve the British garrisons in Halifax, NS and Esquimalt, BC. Of the remainder, almost 5,000 were recruited in Canada directly by the British government and were financed entirely by the British. The total also includes the members of Canadian units which were raised and paid for entirely by Canadian private citizens.

Two hundred and forty-two Canadian soldiers were killed, including the only son of Frederick Bordon, Minister of Defence.

The Royal Canadian Dragoons won three Victoria Crosses in one battle, and the Lord Strathcona Horse won another.

When Canada announced its intention to send a force, volunteers flocked to serve. Many men were selected from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and PEI.

The 62nd Saint John Fusiliers and other New Brunswick militia units provided over 100 volunteers to form G Company of the R.C.R. Other Maritimers served in the Canadian Mounted Rifles, the Royal Canadian Dragoons, the Strathcona Horse and two artillery batteries.

As a result, the Royal New Brunswick Regiment, amalgamated from many of the New Brunswick units which provided men to the Canadian force, today bears the Battle Hounours "South Africa 1899-1900 and 1902". These were its first Battle Honours, and is the only Canadian Regiment to have both.

This, and other predecessor regiments of the R.N.B.R. went on to fight and leave many sons of NB in other wars, in which they won more battle honours for this regiment's colours than any other regiment in Canada today.

...LCol (Retd) R.F. Fendick, CD

Introduction to the Boer War 1899 - 1902 taken from"War in South Africa" by James H. Birch, Jr. ... The English Army and the Boers have met in the shock of battle in South Africa. All attempts to avert the desperate conflict have failed and the eyes of the whole world are turned to watch the progress of the fierce struggle. The first settlement of the Boers in South Africa, another name for Dutch inhabitants, dates from the sixteenth century. They have received accessions from the Huguenots of France, but retain the old Dutch character.

After the final cession of the Cape of Good Hope to England in 1814 they disliked the new government, especially its friendly policy to the natives and the emancipation of the slaves in 1833, the Boers having long been slaveholders. They moved northward and occupied the Orange Free State and the Transvaal.

The Boers are the landholders and farmers of South Africa, famous for their courage and endurance, of strong and well developed physique, good horsemen and splendid marksmen. They have proved themselves to be terrible fighters in many occasions. Previous to 1870 the Boers had much trouble with the surrounding native tribes, which resulted in many sanguinary battles. Wars were of frequent occurrence and little progress was made in the development of the country. The selfish policy of the Boers caused constant irritation with England. In 1877, owing to an exhausted public treasury and accumulated debts brought about by conflicts with the Zulus and other tribes, the Transvaal, or South African Republic, was on the eve of dissolution and the country about to collapse into barbarism. To avert this catastrophe the British Government assumed the care of it, subjugated the rebellious natives, and put the finances of the State in a good condition.

Afterward England declared that the promises made by the Boers at this time were not carried out. One of the thrilling incidents of the war that followed was the slaughter at Majuba Hill, where in 1881, a regiment of British troops was defeated, with the loss of their leader, Sir George Colley, by a greatly superior force of Transvaal Boers. Majuba Hill has become famous in the story of South Africa.

The contention of the Boers is that the agreement of 1881, by which the British had secured certain rights, was set aside by the treaty of 1884, and the British had no longer any right to regulate the internal affairs of the Transvaal. On the other hand , England contends that the convention of treaty of 1881 has never been abolished or impaired. The British Government acting upon this interpretation, has insisted upon certain changes in the domestic government of Transvaal touching the franchise, education and parliamentary representation, which were emphatically refused by the Boers. The people of South African Republic refuse to grant what the British demand, and deny them any say in the affairs of Transvaal.

This was the issue which diplomacy failed to settle, and which resulted in an appeal to arms and the God of Battles . Intense interest in South Africa was awakened by the sanguinary war ranging there. Questions have arisen as to the character of the country, its diversified tribes, its fabulous wealth in gold and diamonds, and the remarkable circumstances under which the country has become known to the world.

Canadian troops cleaning a Colt machine gun in South Africa

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