WWI Memorial commemorates all South Africans, black and white

Audio 03:33 Audio 03:33

Sarah Elzas/RFI

By: Sarah Elzas Follow 5 min

South Africa joined the Allies during the First World War, sending troops to fight in Germany's African colonies, in what is Namibia today. Nearly 6,000 soldiers ended up in Europe, fighting in the Somme in 1916. The South African Memorial at Delville Wood was created in 1926 to commemorate those who fought. At the time, It did not recognise the 25,000 members of the Native Labour Corps, working to support the troops on the front line. Today that has changed, with an addition to the memorial this year.