By the last years of the 20th century, Queen Victoria had been on the British throne for 50 years and her domains stretched across the entirety of the globe, touching every continent.
Many in Canada were proud of their connection to Britain and her empire. As a result, when Britain found itself at war against the Dutch-descended Boer settlers of South Africa, patriotic fever swept the nation. Thousands of Canadians enlisted to fight, including six residents of Newmarket.
Among these eager citizens-turned-soldiers was Walsley Haines.
Born April 24, 1880, Haines was one of 14 children of Newmarket farmer Ebenezer Doan Haines (1841-1911) and his wife, Mary. Haines was 19 when Britain went to war against the two Boer republics in South Africa. Canada was still very much a British society at the time — most citizens could trace their roots to Britain and indeed her foreign policy was still controlled from London — so patriotism turned to jingoism across much of the nation.
Canada elected to send a contingent to fight alongside British and Imperial troops. With no standing army, Canada’s contribution would consist of citizen volunteers. In total, some 7,000 Canadians enlisted to fight.
Haines signed up shortly after the call went out for volunteers. He had no experience in soldiering but was eager and, like most rural men, could ride and could fire a rifle. On Oct. 28, 1899, he and the balance of the first contingent of 1,000 men boarded the transport Sardinian in Quebec for the 30-day voyage to South Africa. It was the first time Haines had left Canada.
The Canadians disembarked on Nov. 28. After a period of familiarization and training, they began to take an active part in the fighting. The Canadians, Pte. Walsley Haines among them, proved instrumental in the British victory at the Battle of Paardeberg (Feb. 18 to 27, 1900). Though forgotten today, the battle loomed large in the Canadian consciousness for many years afterward. Feb. 27 became known as Paardeberg Day in Canada and, until eclipsed by Remembrance Day, it saw people gather around memorials to honour the fallen and those who served.
But the Battle of Paardeberg did not see the end of the war. Over the ensuing months, the Canadians campaigned heavily against the elusive Boers. Haines’s letters home described miserable conditions of severe heat, illness, and poor rations consisting of hardtack and water that was often the colour of pea soup. (“If I were in Canada,” he wrote, “I would not wash my fingers in it.”) But neither privations nor the ever-present fear of Boer ambush seemed to shake Haines’s resolve. “I’m fighting for a good cause and my country,” he wrote in a letter home, “so if anything happens to me do not worry as I am perfectly satisfied whatever happens.”
Haines celebrated his 20th birthday in the field. He wrote a letter around this time. “I have not been sick at all yet, not got a scratch, so I am pretty lucky,” he said. “What do you think? I’ll get home OK, I feel confident. Then watch out for your strawberry shortcake and apple pie.”
On June 8, the Boer capital of Pretoria fell to British and Imperial forces. News of the victory was celebrated across Canada. In Newmarket, a holiday was named, fireworks were set off and a band paraded through the streets playing patriotic tunes.
Sadly, Haines didn’t get to see this victory. In late May, he fell ill, and he succumbed to typhoid fever on June 6. He was the only fatality among the six Newmarket residents who served.
In the autumn of 1901, a bronze bust of Haines was erected. The monument stands near St. Paul’s Anglican Church on D’Arcy Street.
