Ladysmith, British Columbia from the mine at Extension, nearer Nanaimo. Dunsmuir, owner of coal mines in the Nanaimo area, needed a location to house the families of his miners. He chose to build the community at what was then known as Oyster Harbour, some 20 miles (32 km) south of his Extension mines. Many buildings were moved from Extension and Wellington by rail and by oxen. In 1900, Dunsmuir renamed the town in honour of the British lifting the siege of Ladysmith in South Africa (28 February 1900) during the Second Boer War. (The original town of Ladysmith in turn took its name
Military history of Australia during the Second Boer War were again mounted infantry, and consisted of men with a natural skill at horsemanship, riflery and bushcraft who were thought to be able to counter the skills of the Boer Commandoes. The 1st Bushmen Contingent (NSW), Queensland Citizen Bushmen, South Australian Citizen Bushmen, Tasmanian Citizen Bushmen, Victorian Citizen Bushmen, and Western Australian Citizen Bushmen all landed and headed towards Rhodesia in April. By May, the Australian contingents numbered over 3,000, and they were involved in the thick of the fighting, including the action at Driefontein, and the Relief of Mafeking on 17 May, which provoked wild celebrations on the streets