The 1st and 2nd Battalions were both deployed to South Africa in 1899, at the outbreak of the Second Boer War (1899–1902). The 1st Battalion saw action at the Battle of Colenso in December 1899 and Battle of Vaal Krantz in February 1900. The 2nd Battalion took part in the Siege of Ladysmith in late 1899 and early 1900. Both battalions stayed in South Africa until the end of the war. 367 officers and men of the 1st battalion left Cape Town on the SS "Orissa", which arrived at Southampton in late October 1902, when the battalion was stationed at Portsmouth. 990 officers and men of the 2nd battalion left Port Natal on the SS "Malta" in September 1902 for a new posting in Egypt.