CAPE TOWN, South Africa — A poignant memorial in Cape Town now honors Black South African servicemen who died in non-combat roles during World War I, their names etched on poles made from African hardwood, reaching upward toward the sky. For over a century, the identities of these men remained largely forgotten, and the locations of their burial sites remained unknown.

This memorial recognizes the sacrifice of 1,772 Black servicemen who served on the Allied side, contributing to the war effort, despite not being permitted to bear arms. As members of the Cape Town Labor Corps, they were tasked with crucial logistical roles, including the transportation of essential supplies and the construction of infrastructure during the Great War.

While their service was not fought on European battlefields, these men engaged in critical operations in Africa against German colonial forces in what were then referred to as German South West Africa (present-day Namibia) and German East Africa (now Tanzania). Their commitment and sacrifice should be acknowledged alongside the approximately 10 million individuals who perished while serving in various armies during the 1914-1918 conflict.

However, due to the prevailing racial policies under British colonial rule and later the apartheid system in South Africa, these servicemen’s contributions were overlooked for many years. The unveiling of this memorial represents an important step toward rectifying that historical oversight, as articulated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the UK organization responsible for the care of war graves, which oversaw the construction of this tribute in Cape Town’s oldest public garden.

The memorial was inaugurated on Wednesday by Princess Anne of Britain, who serves as the commission’s president. In her speech, she emphasized the importance of remembering and celebrating the individuals who had gone unrecognized for far too long, stating, “It ensures the names and stories of those who died will echo in history for future generations. We will remember them.”

As the ceremony concluded, a solitary bugler played “The Last Post,” creating a solemn atmosphere to honor these Black servicemen 106 years, two months, and 11 days after the conclusion of World War I.

Numerous memorials across South Africa have traditionally commemorated white soldiers who died in both world wars. In stark contrast, the contributions of Black servicemen remained absent from historical narratives for decades. Their legacy risked fading into oblivion until a researcher uncovered their service records in South African army archives around a decade ago. David McDonald, the project operational manager for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, highlighted this significant discovery, which identified over 1,700 Black servicemen and facilitated connections with the families of six deceased individuals, primarily from rural areas.

During the ceremony, representatives of four of the slain servicemen’s families laid wreaths at the memorial, touching the individual poles inscribed with the names of their lost loved ones. Elliot Malunga Delihlazo, one of the relatives present, expressed pride and joy at the recognition of his great-grandfather, Bhesengile, who had served honorably.

Delihlazo shared the heartache of his family’s uncertainty about Bhesengile’s fate, noting, “Although it pains us… that we can’t find the remains, at last we know that he died in 1917. Now the family knows. Now, at last, we know.”