Canada and the South African War National Historic Event
London, Ontario
Canadian Mounted Rifles, 1900
© Canada. Patent and Copyright Office | Bureau des brevets et du droit d'auteur / Library and Archives Canada | Bibliothèque et Archives Canada / PA-028895
Address :
701 Oxford Street East, London, Ontario
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
2005-08-03
Dates:
-
1899 to 1902
(Significant)
Other Name(s):
-
Canada and the South African War
(Designation Name)
-
Canada and the Boer War (1899-1902)
(Other Name)
Research Report Number:
2004-38
Importance:
Represented the beginning of large-scale participation in overseas wars, contributed to the professionalization of the Canadian army
Plaque(s)
Fought between the British Empire and two Boer republics—the South African Republic and the Orange Free State—this war marked the first official Canadian participation in overseas conflicts. Some 7,200 Canadian volunteers served during this engagement, fighting with distinction at Paardeberg, Leliefontein, and Harts River. Although it brought about a new sense of national pride in the militia’s performance and military reform, it also generated a heated public debate on the country’s role within the British Empire and the desirability of fighting overseas that lasted well into the 20th century.