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                        British Army                                                                       Boers                                    

                                  Boer War, October 1899 to May 1902   

The reason I am going to write a little about the Boer War, is because the next group of people I will write about, won their Victoria Crosses during this conflict.

The Boer War started in October 1899 as a conflict between the British Army and the Dutch Settlers called the Boer (Dutch for farmer) in South Africa. The British asked it's colonies for help and Canada agreed to send volunteers to serve under British Command. This was the first large groups of Canadians to serve overseas.

It was a bloody conflict where 22,000/British soldiers died, of these 35% died from combat and 65% through disease. There was also 12,000 Africans.  The Boers lost 25,000 people mostly in Concentration Camps. Of the 8000 Canadians who volunteered 244 died from combat and disease.

English Canada viewed this as Canada's initiation on the world stage. People in Canada formed a "Patriotic Fund" which raised money for the families of those who lost their lives. They also erected monuments honouring those who had fought.

The returning soldiers were treated like Canadian Heroes and English Canada became a prouder and more confident Nation.