Picture of the day

donor said:
Two of Boer generals.Christiaan de Wet (with Mauser 95) and Piet Cronje.

Two things I just found out.One,there was a prison on St Helena for captured Boer officers during the war.Piet Cronje spend some time there.

Two, Canadian troops had major role in Battle of Paardeberg that led to surrender of Gen Cronje.Were Canadian troops in Boer War a lot more important than we are told in history books for last 50 years?
This isn't the first time I run into Canadians playing major roles in that conflict.

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(1) Look at that sporterized Mauser!... :p


(2) IIRC, one of Laurier's biggest challenges was Canada and Quebec's response to the Boer War... :canadaFlag:
 
donor said:
...Were Canadian troops in Boer War a lot more important than we are told in history books for last 50 years?
This isn't the first time I run into Canadians playing major roles in that conflict.
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The Royal Canadian Dragoons have a badge featuring a South African Springbok to this day because of an action that happened there.

The Strathconas were there too (NB: not "Lord"'s until several years later), and it was the baptism-by-fire for graduates of Royal Military College.
 
Check the painting (Dawn of Majuba Day) by Woodville here:
https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffnt&q=th...I/eA03O9kD9IM/s1600/DawnofMajubaDay_small.jpg



Paardeberg Drift - 'The Dawn of Majuba' ... those are members of the RCRI (The Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry) aka The RCR. The RCR still celebrates Paardeberg Day. When my father joined the RCR in the '30's there were still guys from the Boer War around ... of course they were still doing joint tactics with cavalry as well!


"Two things I just found out.One,there was a prison on St Helena for captured Boer officers during the war.Piet Cronje spend some time there."
coincidentally - as most folks know - not only were Boer officers held there, but so also was Napoleon Bonaparte.
 
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JP said:
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Photo of my Great Grand Uncle he served with RCR 2nd (Special Service) Battalion during the Boer War.
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. Wonderful photo! Canada has a terrific and colourful history....and an international relevance - Sadly most of it is not taught in our schools.
 
maple_leaf_eh said:
That is a WW1 Warner-Swayze telescope on a No.3 MkI(T) rifle, ie a Pattern 1914. From Clive Law's book "Without Warning", the same photo appears but without a caption.
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Firing positions in the shop window and "hot dog stand" type defensive positions on forward slopes are risky. Military crests and reverse slopes should be used when possible.
 
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Old Soldiers never die, my Great Grand Uncle again, but now circa 1915/16 at Durrington Camp UK with the 14th Battalion CEF.
 
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JP said:
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Old Soldiers never die, my Great Grand Uncle again, but now circa 1915/16 at Durrington Camp UK with the 24th Battalion CEF.
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Hi Jean. It appears your Great Grand Uncle has a set of undress ribbons on his SD jacket. If this correct can you tell us what medals they are? I'm curious.

Take care
 
No idea if the medals are still even in the Family anymore, but I think it would be his South Africa Service medals, Long Service Medal and maybe even Queen's Jubilee Medal. He served many years in the Militia with the Voltigeurs de Québec (9th Battalion of Infantry) before his service in South Africa and WW1. He was also decorated by French Maréchal Foche on the Plains of Abraham when Foche did his tour of Canada after WW1. He retired from the army with the rank of Sargent and when he died a detachment of the Voltigeurs de Québec and the Vandoos Regiments were present at his gravesite and gave full military honours.
 
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Hi Jean.

Email me his full name and details I can at least confirm his full medal entitlement and check around to see if his group or individual medals have popped up on the market in recent years.. Judging by your photo it looks like 2-3 medals, I'd say based on the info you provided a QSA and a CAFLSM and maybe something else. Hard to tell for certain, the picture quality is poor. I assume he served in SA with a Canadian unit?
 
These photos are of my Grandfather training at the Vernon Military camp 1944/45 he did not end up in Europe they got turned around after leaving Halifax and were told the war was over.
 

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Neat photos. Thanks for sharing.

That sure looks like an M1 Garand he's holding.

It's not something I would have expected to see at a Canadian military camp.

Would they have done familiarization training with other Allied/Axis weapons there?
 
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jibjedi said:
Neat photos. Thanks for sharing.

That sure looks like an M1 Garand he's holding.

It's not something I would have expected to see at a Canadian military camp.

Would they have done familiarization training with other Allied/Axis weapons there?
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Don't know if it is relevant, but the Cdn. troops who were going to be part of the invasion of Japan were to be equipped with US arms.
 
jibjedi said:
Neat photos. Thanks for sharing.

That sure looks like an M1 Garand he's holding.

It's not something I would have expected to see at a Canadian military camp.

Would they have done familiarization training with other Allied/Axis weapons there?
Click to expand...
Nobody knows much about his military service and there is nobody around to ask and my grandmother didn't know much about it either.
 
tiriaq said:
Don't know if it is relevant, but the Cdn. troops who were going to be part of the invasion of Japan were to be equipped with US arms.
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One West Coast "zombie" brigade fought in the Aleutian Islands and were fully US equipped. Western training centres likely made use of that kit when the troops came home. There was also a division planned fur the invasion of Japan to be equipped with US kit which started training in the spring of 45.
 
- Hi JP
do you know if he fought with the 24th at the Battle of the Scarp? (Aug 28, 1918)

No he was invalided back to Canada by then.
 
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