South African War Memorial

Photo of a bronze statue of a man dressed in uniform. He is holding a rifle and has his hat raised above his head.
South African War Memorial

The South African War Memorial is set in Confederation Park in downtown Ottawa. Thirty thousand school children donated pennies to pay for this monument to Canadian volunteers who died in the South African War (Boer War) of 1899–1902 .

The monument is comprised of a bronze statue on a stone pedestal. The bronze statue depicts a man dressed in the uniform used during the South African War. He is holding a rifle and has his hat raised above his head. On the pedestal, there are two plaques. The plaques honour sixteen Ottawa volunteers who died in the South African War, in which 267 Canadians lost their lives.

The monument was created by the sculptor Hamilton MacCarthy in 1902.

In 2012, the Animals in War Dedication was unveiled next to the South African War Memorial. The location is symbolic because Canada supplied 50,000 horses for the South African War.

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