The names are carved on poles of African hardwood that are set upright as if reaching for the sun. No one knows where the men they represent were buried. But their names, forgotten for more than a century,

Hundreds of South African soldiers, mostly black, who died during World War One have been honoured in Cape Town with a new memorial. After the war, they were not recognized because of British colonialism's racial policies and then South Africa's apartheid regime.

A newly unveiled memorial in Cape Town commemorates over 1,700 Black South African servicemen who served in non-combat roles during World War I. Previously unrecognized due to racial discrimination, these men's efforts are now honored for their critical support in the war.

A memorial in Cape Town recognises 1,772 Black South African servicemen who died in non-combat roles during WWI, preserving their legacies.

More than 1,700 Black South African servicemen who died in non-combat roles on the Allied side during World War I and have no known grave have been recognized with a memorial more than 100 years later

While South Africa has several memorials dedicated to white soldiers who died in the world wars, Black servicemen's contributions were ignored for decades.