The Boer War Memorial was unveiled on 15 August 1905 in the presence of Lord Grey, Governor-General of Canada, the Prince of Battenberg and officers of six British naval warships. It was dedicated to all Quebecois who were killed in action during the Boer War. This memorial was erected on the site of departure of the first Canadian contingent for South Africa, on 30 October 1899. Sculpted by Hamilton Plantagenet MacCarthy, the statue soldier wears the colonial uniform, holding a rifle in one hand and the Canadian Red Ensign in the other. The brief verses on the right side of the monument are from the pen of Reverend M.F.G. Scott, of Quebec.
Hamilton P. MacCarthy was born on 28 July 1846 in London, England. He studied with his father, sculptor Hamilton Wright MacCarthy and at the Royal Academy Schools. MacCarthy moved to Toronto, Ontario, in 1885. Thirteen years later he moved to Ottawa and studied at the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. MacCarthy had 15 children and his son Coeur de Lion MacCarthy was a sculptor who produced numerous commemorative works after the First World War.
Other memorials by Hamilton MacCarthy include: South African War Memorial and Lieutenant Harold Lothrop Borden Memorial in Nova Scotia; Soldiers Monument in Prince Edward Island; General Isaac Brock Monument, South African War Memorial and Boer War Memorial in Ontario.
