Boer War Memorial Fountain

Boer War Memorial Fountain

The figure at the top of the fountain was modeled from a photograph of a local Canadian Mounted Rifleman, Billy Pickering, a well-known athlete from Halifax who went to South Africa after his adventures in the Klondike Gold Rush. Photos of him in his uniform were sent to the Macfarlane Iron Works in Glasgow where the statue was made by Hamilton MacCarthy. He is supported by a Corinthian capital surrounded by four cranes standing amid daffodils. Surrounding the fountain stands a collection of weeping trees including Weeping European Beech ( Fagus sylvatica Pendula ), Camperdown Elms (Ulmus glabra ‘Camperdownii’) and Weeping Ash (Fraxinus excelsior ‘Pendula’). 

The memorial was erected by citizens of Halifax. One of the Camperdown Elms, (Ulmus glabra ‘Camperdownii’), was donated by the family of a Canadian soldier who died during the Boer War.

The memorial was unveiled in 1903 and commemorates the service of Canadian soldiers in the South African War.

ERECTED BY THE COMMISSIONERS OF THE PUBLIC GARDENS
IN COMMEMORATION OF THE SERVICES OF OUR CITIZEN SOLDIERS
IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN CAMPAIGN 1899 - 1902