Editing Second Boer War (section)

=== Canada ===
{{Wikisource|Canadian Appeal for the Widows and Orphans of the South African War}}

{{See also|Military history of Canada#Boer War}}

[[File:1908 Toronto SouthAfrican War Memorial QueenSt.jpg|left|thumb|The unveiling of the ''[[South African War Memorial (Toronto)|South African War Memorial]]'' in [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]], Canada, in 1908]]

A total of around 8000 Canadians arrived in South Africa to fight for Britain. These arrived in two contingents: the first on 30 October 1899, the second on 21 January 1900. A third contingent of cavalry ([[Strathcona's Horse]]) embarked for South Africa on 16/17 March 1900.<ref>Chronicle of the 20th Century by John S Bowman</ref> They remained until May 1902.{{sfn|Webb|2010|pp=75–90}} With approximately 7,368<ref name="Boer War Remembered">{{cite web|last=Marshall|first=Robert|title=Boer War Remembered|url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/macleans/boer-war-remembered|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130204014742/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/macleans/boer-war-remembered|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 February 2013|work=Maclean's}}</ref> soldiers in a combat situation, the conflict became the largest military engagement involving Canadian soldiers from the time of Confederation until the [[Great War]].{{sfn|Webb|2010|pp=75–90}} Eventually, 270 of these soldiers died in the course of the Boer War.{{sfn|Webb|2010|pp=75–90}}

As one of the country's first major wars, the arrival and movement of troops was widely documented by early war photographers. English-born (and later Canadian) Inglis Sheldon-Williams was one of the most notable, documenting the movement of hundreds of troops between North America and Southern Africa.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brandon |first=Laura |url=https://www.aci-iac.ca/art-books/war-art-in-canada/preface/ |title=War Art in Canada: A Critical History |publisher=Art Canada Institute |year=2021 |isbn=978-1-4871-0271-5}}</ref>

The Canadian public was initially divided on the decision to go to war as some citizens did not want Canada to become Britain's 'tool' for engaging in armed conflicts. Many [[English Canadian|Anglophone]] citizens were pro-[[Empire]], and wanted the [[prime minister]], [[Sir Wilfrid Laurier]], to support the British in their conflict. On the other hand, many [[Francophone]] citizens felt threatened by the continuation of British imperialism to their national [[sovereignty]].<ref name="South African War">{{cite encyclopedia|last=Miller|first=Carman|title=South African War|url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/south-african-war|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120123090113/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/south-african-war|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 January 2012|encyclopedia=Canadian Encyclopedia}}</ref>

In the end, to appease the citizens who wanted war and to avoid angering those who oppose it, Laurier sent 1,000 volunteers under the command of Lieutenant Colonel [[William Dillon Otter|William Otter]] to aid the confederation in its war to 'liberate' the peoples of the Boer controlled states in South Africa. The volunteers were provided to the British if the latter paid costs of the battalion after it arrived in South Africa.{{sfn|Granatstein|2010|p={{page needed|date=February 2017}} }}

The supporters of the war claimed that it "pitted British Freedom, justice and civilization against Boer backwardness".{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Canada & The South African War, 1899–1902 |url=https://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/boer/boerwarhistory_e.html |website=Canadian War Museum |access-date=26 October 2022}}</ref> The French Canadians' opposition to the Canadian involvement in a British 'colonial venture' eventually led to a three-day riot in various areas of Quebec.<ref name="Boer War Remembered" />

[[File:HaroldBorden2ndBoerWar.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Harold Lothrop Borden]] – son of the National Minister of Defence and the most famous Canadian casualty of the war]]

Commonwealth involvement in the Boer War can be summarised into three parts. The first part (October 1899 – December 1899) was characterised by questionable decisions and blunders from the Commonwealth leadership which affected its soldiers greatly. The soldiers of the Commonwealth were shocked at the number of Afrikaner soldiers who were willing to oppose the British. The Afrikaner troops were very willing to fight for their country and were armed with modern weaponry and were highly mobile soldiers.<ref name="South African War" /> This was one of the best examples of [[Guerrilla]] style warfare, which would be employed throughout the twentieth century after [[Set piece battle|set piece fighting]] was seen as a hindrance by certain groups.{{sfn|Webb|2010|pp=75–90}} The Boer soldiers would evade capture and secure provisions from their enemies therefore they were able to exist as a fighting entity for an indeterminate period of time.<ref name="The Guerrilla War">{{cite web|title=The Guerrilla War|url=http://www.anglo-boer.co.za/intro/the-guerrilla-war.php|work=Anglo–Boer War Museum}}</ref>

The end of the First part was the period in mid-December, referred to as the "Black Week". During the week of 10–17 December 1899, the British suffered three major defeats at the hands of the Boers at the battlefields of Stormberg, Magersfontein and Colenso. Afterwards, the British called upon more volunteers to take part in the war from the Commonwealth.<ref name="Black Week">{{cite web|last=Rickard|first=J.|title=The Black Week|url=http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/concepts_black_week.html|work=History of War}}</ref>

The second part of the war (February–April 1900) was the opposite of the first. After the British reorganised and reinforced under new leadership, they began to experience success against the Boer soldiers. [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] soldiers resorted to using blockhouses, farm burning and concentration camps to 'persuade' the resisting Boers into submission.<ref name="History of the Boer War">{{cite web|title=Canada & The South African War, 1899–1902|url=http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/boer/boerwarhistory_e.shtml|work=Canadian War Museum}}</ref>

The final phase of the war was the guerrilla phase in which many Boer soldiers turned to guerrilla tactics such as raiding infrastructure or communications lines. Many Canadian soldiers did not actually see combat after they had been shipped over to South Africa since many arrived around the time of the signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging on 31 May 1902.<ref name="The Peace of Vereeniging">{{cite web|last=Cavendish|first=Richard|title=The Peace of Vereeniging|url=http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/peace-vereeniging|work=History Today}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Notable Canadian Engagements
|-
! Battle !! Description
|- valign="top"
| [[Battle of Paardeberg|Paardeberg]]
| A British-led attack trapped a Boer Army in Central South Africa on the banks of the Modder River from 18 to 27 February 1900. Over 800 Canadian soldiers from Otter's 2nd Special Service Battalion were attached to the British attack force. This was the first major attack involving the Canadians in the Boer War, as well as the first major victory for Commonwealth soldiers.
|- valign="top"
| [[Battle of Zand River|Zand River]]
| On 6 May 1900, the Commonwealth's northwards advance to the capital of Pretoria was well on its way. However, the British soldiers encountered a position of Boer soldiers on the Zand River on 10 May. The British commander felt that the best course of action was to use cavalry to envelop the Boers on their left flank and infantry would therefore march on the Boer right flank to secure a crossing. The Canadian 2nd Battalion was the lead unit advancing on the right flank. However, due to disease and casualties from earlier encounters, the 2nd battalion was reduced to approximately half of its initial strength. The Canadian battalion came under fire from the Boers who were occupying protected positions. The battle continued for several hours until the British cavalry was able to flank the Boers and force a retreat. Canadian casualties were two killed and two wounded. The skirmishes around the Zand River would continue and more soldiers from various Commonwealth countries would become involved.{{sfn|O'Leary|1999}}
|- valign="top"
| [[Doornkop]]
| On the days of 29–29 May 1900, both the Canadian 2nd battalion and the 1st Mounted Infantry Brigade fought together on the same battlefield for the first, and only, time. The Mounted Brigade, which encompassed units such as the Canadian Mounted Rifles and the Royal Canadian Dragoons were given the task to establish a beachhead across a river which the Boers had fortified in an attempt to halt the advancing Commonwealth before they could reach the city of Johannesburg.<ref name="Wessels2009">{{cite web |last=Wessels |first=Elria |year=2009 |title=Boers positions in the Klipriviersberg |url = http://www.knra.co.za/history_articles/boer-position_TB.htm |work=Veldslae-Anglo–Boereoorlog 1899–1902 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130214023659/http://www.knra.co.za/history_articles/boer-position_TB.htm |archive-date=14 February 2013}}</ref>
Since the Boers were mounting a heavy resistance to the advancing mounted units, the Commonwealth infantry units were tasked with holding the Boer units while the mounted units found another route across the river with less resistance.<ref name="Wessels2009" /> Even after the cavalry made it across to the other side of the river further down the line, the infantry had to advance onto the town of Doornkop as they were the ones who were tasked with its capture. The Canadians suffered very minimal casualties and achieved their objective after the Boer soldiers retreated from their positions.<ref name="Wessels2009" /> Although the Canadians suffered minimal casualties, the lead British unit in the infantry advance, the Gordon Highlanders, did sustain heavy casualties in their march from the riflemen of the Boer force.{{sfn|Stirling|2009}}
|- valign="top"
| [[Battle of Leliefontein|Leliefontein]]
| On 7 November 1900, a British-Canadian force was searching for a unit of Boer commandos which were known to be operating around the town of Belfast, South Africa. After the British Commander reached the farm of Leliefontein, he began to fear that his line had expanded too far and ordered a withdrawal of the front line troops. The rear guard, consisting of the [[Royal Canadian Dragoons]] and two [[Ordnance BL 12 pounder 7 cwt|12 pound guns]] from D section of the Canadian [[artillery]], were tasked with covering the retreat.{{sfn|Chase|2012}} The Boers mounted a heavy assault against the Canadians with the intention of capturing the two 12 pound artillery pieces. During this battle, the Afrikaners outnumbered the Canadians almost three to one.{{sfn|Pulsifer|2017}} A small group of the Dragoons interposed themselves between the Boers and the artillery in order to allow the guns and their crews time to escape. The Dragoons won three [[Victoria Crosses]]{{sfn|Chase|2012}} for their actions during the battle of Leliefontein, the most in any battle with the exception of the Battle of Vimy Ridge in [[World War I]].{{sfn|Pulsifer|2017}}
|}