Veteran Affairs Canada, Submitted
The South African War was a conflict between the British Empire and Dutch settlers, known as the Boers. It was fought in southern Africa from 1899 to 1902 and is also known as the Boer War. More than 7,000 Canadians volunteered for service alongside the British forces there. Our soldiers served with great distinction. Five of them earned the Victoria Cross for their impressive bravery.
2nd (Special Service) Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry
When the British were preparing for the South African War in late 1899, they asked Canada to supply a military force. The then Prime Minister, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, opposed this. Many French Canadians felt it was not Canada’s war. However, English Canada was overwhelmingly in favour of sending troops. So, the Canadian government agreed to send 1,000 soldiers, who were all volunteers. This first contingent went to South Africa as part of the 2nd (Special Service) Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry.
Siege at Paardeberg Drift
Following a few minor skirmishes after arriving in Africa, the Royal Canadians merged with a British brigade to surround enemy forces along the Modder River. The Boers had a position near the Paardeberg Drift and on 18 February 1900, our forces went on the attack. This was the first major battle Canadian troops took part in during the South African War.
Canadian casualties were high during the assault. Our losses on the first day of the battle were 18 Canadian soldiers killed and 60 wounded. It was Canada’s bloodiest single day of the entire conflict. The British high command decided to change tactics and wait out the enemy. They had the Boers surrounded, and figured it was only a matter of time before the Boers would have to surrender.
In February of 1900, Canadian soldiers played an important role in the first major British victory of the South African War.
Surprise attack
In the early hours of 27 February 1900, a Canadian-led sneak attack advanced on the Boer lines. They were almost there when they struck a tripwire, alerting the waiting enemy forces. The two sides immediately began exchanging fire. The rear ranks of the Canadian force started digging trenches in the hard earth, while the front ranks did their best to cover them.
In November 1900, during the South African War, the Royal Canadian Dragoons held the line when tasked with covering a British withdrawal.
In the chaos of the attack, somebody yelled “Retire”. This caused some Canadians to withdraw, while others kept attacking. Most of the Canadians returned to their start line. Only “G” and “H” Companies, made up of soldiers from the East Coast, remained and continued the fight.
Boer surrender
The sustained Canadian attack was enough to convince the Boer commander that he could not hold his position. Later that morning, he surrendered to the British. There were four thousand Boer casualties that day—almost ten percent of the entire enemy army. The Battle of Paardeberg was the first major British victory of the South African War.
Prince Albert was one of the 140 communities selected from the more than 400 applications received by the Canadian Garden Council. The garden was erected by Bancroft Horticultural Society. Each of the 140 new 70th Anniversary Dutch-Canadian Friendship Tulip Gardens across the country will consist of 700 red and white tulip bulbs (350 of each colour) donated by Vesey’s Bulbs in Prince Edward Island.
The Garden was planted in fall 2015. Tulip bulbs generally bloom between the end of April and the beginning of June depending on the type of tulip and where it’s planted.
The memorial is dedicated as a living monument in recognition of the 70th Anniversary of the original Dutch-Canadian Friendship Tulip Garden planted in Ottawa at the end of World War II in 1945. The memorial is in appreciation of the safe haven that members of Holland’s exiled royal family received during World War II, and in recognition of the role Canadian troops played in the liberation of the Netherlands.
Legacy
Canadian troops received much of the credit for the great victory at Paardeberg. This put our soldiers in the spotlight and earned them significant praise. The Royal Canadians would go on to take part in several more battles in South Africa. Their impressive battlefield accomplishments soon made the British generals consider them the equals to any regiment of professional British soldiers.
