A new memorial for black soldiers who died during World War I will be established in Cape Town’s Company’s Garden, as construction is ‘officially underway’.
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The memorial, named the Cape Town Labour Corps Memorial (CTLCM), will honour more than 1 700 black South African servicemen by name who died while serving in WWI in ‘various conflict zones’ across the African continent, as reported by Weg!/go! via News24.
While black soldiers were not allowed to fight on the frontlines, they served in many other areas and were therefore crucial to the war effort.
The units that will be honoured include the South African Military Labour Corps, the Military Labour Bureau, the Cape Coloured Labour Regiment and the Cape Auxiliary Horse Transport.
Almost all the servicemen who died have no known graves, which prompted the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) to start the project.
The CWGC, which was established in 1917, works in collaboration with the governments of Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom to honour and commemorate the 1.7 million men and women across the Commonwealth who died in both world wars.
The memorial will be unveiled later this year.
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Picture: Dean Jay Architects website