Beginning in 1899, some 7,000 Canadians were sent out to support the British in South Africa, the first overseas expedition in Canadian military history. The Boer War, from 1899 to 1902, pitted the Boer Republic in South Africa against Great Britain. Henri Julien, chief illustrator for the Montreal Star, showed Quebec City residents resignedly waving goodbye to the 2nd Battalion infantry troops as they embarked on October 30, 1899.