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REVIEW ARTICLE A SURVEY OF THE LITERATURE ON CANADA'S PARTICIPATION IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN WAR N thedecade following theSouth African War,Canadian participation inthat struggle occupied a highplacein the nationalconsciousness. Then came the absorbingeffort of the Great War which almostsubmergedthe memoriesof the earlier contest. The episode was, however,of sufficientimportanceto Canada to justify an attempt to review and revaluethe literature with regardto it.x For the convenienceof readers we may first enumerate the Canadian units whichparticipated in thefightingin SouthAfrica. The firstwasthespecial service battalion of the Royal CanadianRegiment(R.C.R.). Raisedin October,1899, this unit sharedin the overrunningof the two Boerstatesand in November, 1900, left South Africa for Canada by way of England. Next came two battalions of Canadian Mounted Rifles, one officeredfrom the permanent cavalry, the other from the North West Mounted Police. By a reorganization in August,1900,the first becamethe Royal Canadian Dragoons,the secondretaining the title of Mounted Rifles, Thesetwo reachedSouthAfrica in February and March, 1900, took part in the generaladvancethrough the Free State and the Transvaal, and remaineduntil the closeof the year. Anotherregimentof C.M.R., succeeding to the title "second",left Canadain January, 1902,and sawa little servicebeforethe armisticeof May; and 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th regimentsarrived after the cessation of hostilitiesand went homewith no scarsto show. Lord Strathcona'sHorse, whosename was a householdword in Canada until 1914, went to South Africa in April, 1900, a.'ndremaineduntil January, 1901. A contingentof over 1,100 Canadiansfollowedtheseunits and joined the South African Constabularyin March, 1901,doingservicemuch the sameas that of the Mounted Riflesin that year and the next. Of the artillery there were three batteries (distinguished as C, D, and E) of six gunseachwhichreachedthe theatreof war with the C.M.R. Oneof theseproceeded to Beiraandassisted in the reliefof Mafeking; the others tookpart in minoroperations in variousareasuntil theendof theyear. A number of Canadianstook their discharge in SouthAfrica, joinedthe corpsof scouts,and servedasa bodyundertwo Americanofficers, Majors A. L. Howard and C. Ross, from the closeof 1900to May, 1902. A fieldhospitalwhichaccompanied the 2nd C.M.R. in February, 1902, completesthe list of Canadian units in the South African War. The work of theseunits was,of course,reportedto Ottawa; and certain of the reportsand other documents were publishedby the departmentof militia and defence. A supplementary reportissued in 1901covered eventsof the preceding eighteen months. • It contains Lieutenant-Colonel W. D. Otter'sgeneralaccount of the serviceof the R.C.R., extracts from the diary of Lieutenant-Colonel L. Buchanof April and May, 1900,the officialdocuments of the mobilizationof the 'This article dealswith military affairs and doesnot touch political controversies. A forthcomingthesisfor the M.A. degreeat,the Universityof Toronto,"Canada'sentry into the BoerWar" by NormanPenlington,contains an extensive generalbibliography. The author is glad to acknowledge his debt to Messrs.R. C. Fetherstonhaugh of Montreal and E. S. Pye of Ottawa for valuable advice and assistance. He would welcome corrections or additions to the list of books. 2It was supplementaryto the ordinary annual report on activities of the militia. 419 420 THE CANADIAN HISTORICAL REVmW secondcontingent(C.M.R. and artillery), Lieutenant-Colonel F. L. Lessard's rathersketchyaccountof the services of the R.C.D., Lieutenant-Colonel T. D. B. Evans's report on the C.M.R. proper, exclusiveof actions,and reportsby the commanders of the batteriesand the Strathconas. The process of officialpublicationwascontinuedin the annualreport of the departmentfor 1901which hasa shortsectionon the mobilizationof the menfor the SouthAfrican Constabulary, the 2nd regiment C.M.R., and the 10th Canadian Field Hospital. A further supplementary report,issued in 1902,describes againthemobilization of theabove three units and that of the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th regimentsC.M.R. It contains alsoa brief report by Lieutenant-ColonelEvanson the serviceof the 2nd C.M.R. and extracts from the staff diary of that unit, especiallyabout the action of Brakspruitor Boschbult,March 31, 1902,whereLieutenantBruceCarruthersand hisbandof twenty-onedistinguished themselves by fightinguntil sixwerekilledand twelve wounded. Certain other reports follow, including one by LieutenantColonelA . N. Worthingtonon the serviceof the 10th Field Hospital and oneby MissGeorgina Popeonthat ofthenursing sisters. A reprintofimperialdespatches bearingupon the Canadiancontingents and individual Canadianswho had won recognition in variouswaysfor their servicewasmadeby the CanadianMilitary Institute. This apparently concludes the officialpublicationsabout Canada and the South African War. Contemporary interestin...

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