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Clip description
Officers of the Queensland Mounted Infantry lead some reluctant horses down a ramp to board the SS Cornwall on 31 October 1899 in Brisbane, prior to departing for the Boer War.
Curator’s notes
Three days earlier, Wills and Mobsby shot footage of the 2nd\14th Queensland Mounted Infantry parading through Brisbane before departing to serve in the Boer War (see Boer War Transvaal Contingent, 1899). Queensland was the first colony to offer troops to help Great Britain fight the Boers in South Africa. Queensland soldiers were not the first to leave for South Africa or engage in fighting, but two members of the 2nd\14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry) were the first Australians to die in the Boer War. The steam ship Cornwall departed Brisbane on 1 November 1899.
