John Clark Ridpath et al., The Story of South Africa (Guelph: World Publishing Company, [1902]). © Chinook Multimedia, Inc.

"First Canadian Contingent Leaving Toronto," 1899.

English Canadians, by and large, were enthusiastic about Canada fighting alongside Britain in the Boer War. Here, the First Canadian Contingent of volunteers is leaving Toronto on their way to South Africa.

Ethnic groups, perhaps even more so than they do today, commonly saw themselves as superior. Hence, French Canadians commonly believed that the blending of their Catholic faith and rural way of life made them superior to materialistic English Canadians. French-Canadian nationalists sought to isolate themselves from both Europe and English Canada by building a strong Quebec based on the French language and Catholic leadership.

On the other hand, English Canadians commonly believed that the blending of British civilization and enterprise made them superior to backward French Canadians. What was needed was a Canada based on just one language and one culture and with closer ties to Britain. Many English Canadians also embraced militarism, or the belief that a nation could be strengthened through warfare.

Not surprisingly, when the Boer War broke out, the tremendous enthusiasm in English Canada to fight for the mother country was met by an intense reaction in Quebec against the conflict.

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The Boer War began in October 1899 when the Boers (people of Dutch descent living in South Africa) resisted attempts by Britain (which had purchased the Cape of Good Hope from the Dutch) to assert control over the area. The disagreements had culminated in the Jameson Raid of 1895, when British colonial forces invaded the Transvaal as part of a failed effort to topple the Boer regime. Paul Kruger, President of the Transvaal, was convinced that the British would launch another attack, and chose to make a pre-emptive strike against the British colonies to the south in October 1899.

The Canadian prime minister, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, did not believe that Canada should be involved, but he faced growing agitation in English Canada to send troops. In this way Canada could demonstrate its importance in the British Empire and share in its military responsibilities. Moreover, the British wanted Canadian involvement. In contrast, French Canadians opposed any participation. Interpreting the conflict as one to preserve a minority culture in the face of British imperialism, they sympathized with the Boers. Accordingly, the fight was purely a British one, and Canada should not be involved. The government compromised and sent an initial volunteer force of 1,000 to serve with Britain; once in South Africa, the troops remained together but fell under the command of the British military.

Neither English-Canadian imperialists nor French-Canadian nationalists were satisfied, but Laurier was able to balance the conflicting forces. The government sent the 2nd (Special Service) Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry, which arrived in time to fight at the Battle of Paardeberg in February 1900. As the war dragged on, the Canadian cavalry, the Royal Canadian Dragoons and Lord Strathcona's Horse, played an important role in the fighting. The Lord Strathcona's Horse, like the Princess Patricia's Light Infantry (PPCLI) raised in August 1914, was privately financed by Donald Smith, Lord Strathcona. Its lineage, however, can be traced back to the School of Mounted Infantry established in Winnipeg in 1885. Some 7,368 Canadians saw action in South Africa, and 89 men were killed in action by the time the war ended in 1902. More than 130 more died as a result of disease. The complications of imperialism would continue to influence Canadian defence policy. The questions of how closely linked Canada should be to Britain and whether Canadian soldiers should be conscripted to fight foreign wars had not been resolved.

Copyright Canadian War Museum (CN 85111).

Canadians at the Battle of Paardeberg, February 1900, by Arthur H. Hider.