Anne lays wreath to honour black South African labourers in First World War
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The Princess Royal has described the first memorial to recognise the sacrifices of black South Africans who died while First World War labourers as a reminder of a “sometimes difficult past”. Anne laid a wreath at the new Cape Town Labour Corps Memorial, which commemorates the long-forgotten contribution of more than 1,700 non-combatants who died while helping Britain’s war effort in east and south-west Africa.
The memorial comprises a field of slim posts made from African Iroko hardwood – one for every life lost – and the princess left her floral tribute in the middle of the markers, which are engraved with the men’s names, service numbers and dates of death.
Anne, president of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission which created the monument, told invited guests at the ceremony: “This memorial is a reminder of a shared but sometimes difficult past and it is also a demonstration that, with honesty, openness and working together, we can make a difference.”.
The sacrifice of the labourers went unrecognised during South Africa’s apartheid years and the monument is the product of an ongoing project by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to find and commemorate similar cases. Anne continued: “And it is important to recognise that those we have come to pay tribute to have gone unacknowledged for too long.
“They were the men at the South African military labour corps who served with valour in campaigns during the First World War. “They gave their all in the most challenging of circumstances. Their courage and dedication were essential to the Allied efforts, and their legacy deserves the lasting recognition that this memorial provides.”.
