Units
3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th Regiments, Canadian Mounted Rifles
The 5th Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles on
church parade, Durban, South Africa, 29 June 1902. This was after the
signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging that ended the war, and the unit
never saw action.
In April 1902, the British requested from Canada a fourth contingent
of 2,000 men recruited and funded on the same basis as the
2nd Regiment, Canadian Mounted
Rifles. The contingent was recruited in April 1902 and organized
into four regiments of Canadian Mounted Rifles. Each regiment had 26
officers, 483 men and 539 horses, organized into a headquarters and
four squadrons. The contingent therefore could field 16 squadrons, three
more than the combined strengths of the second and third contingents,
plus Strathcona's Horse.
Each regiment was commanded by a veteran of previous service in South
Africa, and included a large number of veterans in both its commissioned
and non-commissioned ranks. These units arrived in South Africa after
the war had ended, however, and returned to Canada in July 1902 at which
time they disbanded.