Canada's Soldiers in South Africa: Tales from the Boer War, 1899-1902

In 1899 a thousand Canadian soldiers went to war--in South Africa. They were fighting white farmers who defied the mighty British empire by setting up their own, independent state. This South African or Boer War of 1899-1902 marked the first time Canadian troops went abroad to fight alongside Britain. Like other conflicts, the Boer War was controversial in Canada. Sir Wilfrid Laurier's liberal government, reluctantly responded to sentiment in much of English Canada and eventually sent nearly 8,400 Canadians to serve in South Africa. More than 200 died there. Canada's Soldiers in South Africa recounts fascinating stories about the experiences of young Canadians fighting in this little-known conflict.