That day of battle in the dusty heat We lay and heard the bullets swish and sing Like scythes amid the over-ripened wheat, And we the harvest of their garnering.
Mr. Speaker, John McRae wrote those words 100 years ago to commemorate the brave Canadian soldiers who fought in the Battle of Paardeberg on February 27, 1900. The Boer War was Canada's first overseas mission and the Royal Canadian Regiment became our first war heroes. At 2.15 a.m., under clear starlight and dead silence, six RCR companies crept toward the Boer trenches. Suddenly a shot was fired and the Canadians were swept by murderous fire. But we did not retreat and by dawn we had captured over 4,000 Boers.
This Saturday evening at 7 p.m., Hamilton's ONTV will broadcast We Stand on Guard , celebrating the 100th anniversary of the heroic Royal Canadian Regiment. Let us watch and learn more about our proud military history.