Anne lays a wreath in honor of black South African workers during World War I

The Princess Royal described the first memorial to the victims of black South Africans who died during World War I as a reminder of a “sometimes difficult past”.

Anne laid a wreath at the new Labor Corps Memorial in Cape Town, which commemorates the long-forgotten contribution of over 1,700 non-combatants who died while helping Britain’s war effort in east and south-west Africa.

The memorial consists of narrow posts made of African Iroko hardwood – one for each life lost – and the princess left her floral tribute in the center of the markers, which are engraved with the men’s names, service numbers and dates of death.

Anne, chairwoman of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which created the memorial, told ceremony guests: “This memorial is a reminder of our shared, if sometimes difficult, past, and a demonstration that with honesty, openness and working together we can make a difference. “

The sacrifices of workers went unrecognized during the apartheid years in South Africa and the memorial is the result of an ongoing project by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to find and commemorate similar cases.

Anne continued: “It is important to acknowledge that those we have come to pay our respects to have gone unnoticed for too long.

“These were South African Military Labor Corps soldiers who served bravely in the campaigns of the First World War.

“They gave their all in the most difficult circumstances. Their courage and sacrifice were essential to the Alliance’s efforts, and their legacy deserves the lasting recognition that this monument provides.”