Canadian Infantry in the Boer War

[RattlesnakeJack]

Recently, on the "Victorian Wars Forum" a chap asked for photos of the Royal Canadian Regiment in South Africa during the Boer War.

The Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry was the sole "full time/professional" infantry component of  Canada's armed forces (called the "Permanent Militia") at that time.  The rest of our infantry units were "Active Militia" - i.e. part-time soldiers.  When Canada agreed in 1899 to send a contingent of 1000 infantry to South Africa, it was composed of a core of "regulars" from the RCR augmented by volunteers from various other Active Militia units, and was designated as the "2nd (Special Service) Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment".  All subsequent Canadian contingents raised for South African service were, at the specific request of the British, equipped and designated as "Mounted Infantry", such units being better suited for the conditions and nature of fighting on the veldt.  Nevertheless, the men of the Royal Canadian Regiment served with bravery and distinction during the war ....

I have responded to the request for photographs by posting quite a few images, and thought members of the Barracks might be interested in looking them over.  If so, you  can see them here - http://www.victorianwars.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=4325

To whet your appetite here is one of them,  showing officers and men outside the Royal Canadian Regiment Guardroom at their camp at Belmont.  The distinctive Oliver Pattern infantry equipment (with its single, large cartridge pouch worn "front and center") was adopted only be Canada, and is accordingly an excellent indicator that a Boer War "British" infantryman is actually Canadian -

[JimBob]

Thanks for posting.Good pics of the equipment,Boer War info isn't exactly plentifull here in the states.

[RattlesnakeJack]

Thanks for the kind words, JimBob .....  Forgot to mention above that I actually posted two sets of photographs, in separate posts in the thread I link to.....  Did you see them all?

[Advertising]

[JimBob]

LOL Not yet.I got rather engrossed exploring the site.Lot's of interesting posts and information there.I have a small section of the library here at home with books on The Mutiny,Zulu,and Boer Wars,hard to find books on the subjects down here.I can find subject matter on the French and Indian War easier than the Victorian period wars.Thanks again for posting the link.

[River City John]

Great images, RJR! Thanks.

Honestly, I see dang little difference between 'heavy'- and 'light'- marching order.

There is a similar pic of Union soldiers bathing/wading in a river from the ACW where the heads and hands are noticeably darker. There is a quote from some letter where the writer stated something to the effect that all the men's faces after campaigning in the Army after awhile are dark-so that you'd think they were all Mexicans.
RCJ

[US Scout]

Very nice.  Thanks for posting.

Not exactly related to the GAF time period, but when I was on my cruise last month we were seated at a table of Canadians.  Had a grand time.  Two of them ran museums and we got into discussions on the War of 1812 and WWI (and to a lesser degree, at his request I tried to help him understand the American Civil War).  Since my return I've been trying to learn a bit more about the Great War - a very large gap in my military history knowledge.

[Tuscola Bill]

Great photo.  My understanding is that Robert Baden-Powell was exposed by Canadian troops to the Montana Peak Stetson during his time in South Africa during the Boer War, leading to his later adoption of that headgear for Boy Scouts.  I assume that was the mounted infantry you refer to?  Do you have any photos of them?

Thanks,

TB

[RattlesnakeJack]

Great photo.  My understanding is that Robert Baden-Powell was exposed by Canadian troops to the Montana Peak Stetson during his time in South Africa during the Boer War, leading to his later adoption of that headgear for Boy Scouts.  I assume that was the mounted infantry you refer to?  Do you have any photos of them?

Thanks, TB!  Did you follow the link I posted, to see the other photos?   (There are about 30 or so .....)

Yes, indeed, Baden Powell was quite enamored of the peaked stetson, which was worn by almost all other Canadian units who served in South Africa other than the Royal Canadian Regiment.  The other troops supplied by Canada included a brigade of Artillery, Strathcona's Horse, the Royal Canadian Dragoons, and six regiments of Canadian Mounted Rifles (although only the 1st and 2nd CMR actually saw action ..... the 3rd through 6th CMR didn't actually arrive in South Africa until after the final Boer surrender in 1902. Over 1,000 Canadians enrolled in the South African Constabulary, however.)  

Baden Powell first adopted it as the official headgear of the South African Constabulary, which he was tasked with setting up ..... and then, of course, for the Boy Scouts .....  Matter of fact, here is one well-known portrait of him taken during the Boer War, but after he became a British national hero following the Siege of Mafeking.  (I suspect it actually dates to when he was in command of the South African Constabulary.) -


A few images of other Canadian servicemen in the Boer War -

First, a reconstruction of a Canadian Mounted Rifles Trooper by Canadian military artist Ron Volstad -




Strathcona's Horse troopers -






1st Canadian Mounted Rifles -




Trooper, 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles -




2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles patrolling -




5th Canadian Mounted Rifles, church parade in Durban, South Africa -




Canadian artillery -






Various other  shots of Canadian mounted troops -




















Finally, a period print depicting the surrender of Boer General Botha to Canadian troops, 1900  ..... and a detail from the print -

[Tuscola Bill]

Thanks, Rattlesnake Jack, great shots.  Just the sort of thing I was hoping to see.

-TB

[River City John]

Couple of questions, Jack.
On the pic of the 2nd CMR on patrol, the lead horseman on the right appears to have a special leather loop to the front of his rifle. Does that serve the same function as a lanyard on a revolver?

Love that informal group shot in campaign dress with rolled sleeves on every blouse - looks a rangy group of confident youthful soldiers. They almost look like banditos, especially the gent on the right with his crossed bandoliers. The third one from the right seems to have a carbine version?
Two wear side arms. Were side arms commonly added in the field, or does this signify rank?

RCJ

[RattlesnakeJack]

River City -

Mounted Rifles/Mounted Infantry were issued the full-length Magazine Lee-Enfield rifle, and there were several common methods of carry on horseback.  Least effective, probably, (due to difficulty of bringing the weapon into action) was the standard rifle sling which necessitated having the rifle slung right across the back, like the chap on the extreme left of that photo seems to have it.  But one sees numerous photos with the full sling installed, so perhaps it wasn't uncommon .....  for ease of carry when operating dismounted, at any rate.  




One commonly sees the rifle carried "loose" - either with the butt resting on the thigh or (more likely on the march) across the saddle .... either held loose, or thrust through a special frog mounted to the pommel.  This was actually the standard carry method of the North West Mounted Police, (see photo below of NWMP saddle and gear).  Since so many Canadian troopers were former (and serving) members of that Force, it is small wonder that this was a popular method -

 

  


The loop you have asked about is part of the British "regulation" method of carry for mounted infantry on horseback - with the butt of the rifle resting in a special bucket behind the right foot (quite visible in the second photo immediately above) and with the strap you noticed around the bicep of the right arm and the barrel/forestock clamped under the arm against the body .... at least when moving at more than a walk, to prevent the rifle from bouncing around too much -




Here is another Volstad print of a Trooper of one successor unit to the Mounted Rifles regiments sent to South Africa (the 19th Alberta Dragoons, circa 1912) showing how the rifle would likely be  positioned on the parade square -




Actually, I don't think the chap in the middle has a carbine - it is much too long for that ..... see image of .303 cavalry carbine below.  Rather, I think it is just a trick of perspective, with the butt resting on the ground further ahead of him than is readily apparent, and the rifle slanted back against his body.  (Note, for example, how foreshortened his rifle's magazine appears to be in comparison with the magazine of rifle held by the fellow beside him.)




Revolvers were fairly widely issued to Canadian mounted troops (aty least down to the NCO level) and also to certain others deemed to require one.  For example, see the image of the swashbuckling Royal Canadian Regiment buglers in the original post I linked to at the start of this thread .....  they all have a standard-issue Colt Model 1878 Double Action revolver.  I suppose it was felt that, while performing their primary duties, they would only have one hand free to shoot Boers!  

[River City John]

Thanks.

RCJ

[Niederlander]

Jack,
     I'm working on an Australian Light Horse impression for the era of expansion, but I'd love to do a Canadian one if I only had a Long Lee Enfield.  You suppose I can get anyone to donate one?!!!!  Excellent pictures and thread, by the way!

[pony express]

In the pic of the three troops sitting in front of the tent, I notice a different kind of cartridge belt on the one on the left. The bandoliers in all the other pics appear to have a flap over the cartridges, while his resembles a prairie type belt, like early 1800's US troops used.

[RattlesnakeJack]

The leather ones with flaps are the standard British Pattern 1889 bandolier, which was simply a .303 cartridge version of the Pattern 1882 Bandolier  for .577-.450 Martini-Henry cartridges, adopted for mounted Infantry who could not effectively wear and use regular infantry equipment, with its waistbelt-mounted pouches -





During the Boer War,bandoliers became very popular for use by non-mounted troops of Britain and the Empire, and many web bandoliers were acquired from the Mills Equipment Company..  In fact,  the demand for them was so large that Mills established a manufacturing facility in the United Kingdom, and the British-based branch of the Mills Equipment Company was still around as one of the largest suppliers of Pattern 1937 web equipment during World War Two ....

Numerous photos exist showing Boer War troops equipped with these web bandoliers (and even some waistbelts like the one you commented on.)  Indeed, note that this chap actually has one bandolier of each kind -



Note that many of the photos of Royal Canadian Regiment infantrymen show them wearing such web bandoliers, of the double-row type commonly used by American troops for .30 Krag cartridges at roughly the same time. 

As an example, here is a detail from the guardroom image posted at the top of this thread ....

[Niederlander]

Excellent stuff, Jack!

[RattlesnakeJack]

Thanks, Ned!

I'm working on an Australian Light Horse impression for the era of expansion, but I'd love to do a Canadian one if I only had a Long Lee Enfield.  You suppose I can get anyone to donate one?!!!!  Excellent pictures and thread, by the way!

Ned -  

For a very brief moment, I considered donating my own Long Lee  ....... but of course that temptation quickly passed!  

However, I just might let you play with it some time, if you ask nicely .....

 

[Hangtown Frye]

Great photo's as always, Jack!  Thank you for posting them!

It's always fun seeing the distinct "Cowboy" influence in Canadian troops in the late-19th/early-20th Centuries!

Cheers!

Gordon

[Niederlander]

Thanks, Ned!

Ned -  

For a very brief moment, I considered donating my own Long Lee  ....... but of course that temptation quickly passed!  

However, I just might let you play with it some time, if you ask nicely .....

 
Jack,
Consider yourself nicely asked!

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Resurecting an old thread.  I now have a Long Lee Enfield rifle on its way from Milarm in Edmonton.

About revolvers.  The first two contingents of Canadians had the 1885 vintage Colt 1878 revolvers. (I have one of them.) All later contingents had the Colt New Service, in .45Colt I believe, with the swing out cylinder.