SOUTH AFRICAN COMMONWEALTH WAR CASUALTIES BURIED ACROSS THE WORLD – PART EIGHTY-NINE.

By Captain (SAN) Charles Ross (SA Navy Retired)

South Africans participated in almost every war theatre during the First and Second World Wars. According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Casualty Data Base 7 290 (includes 607 unknown) First World War casualties and 9 986 (includes 84 unknown) Second World War casualties are buried in 1 207 cemeteries. In contrast, 2 959 First World War and 2 005 Second World War casualties are commemorated on 48 memorials. This does not include the more than 2 700 South Africans not recently commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. A new memorial, Cape Town Labour Corps has been constructed in the Gardens in Cape Town and was unveiled by HRH Princess Royal on 22 January 2025.

HESTRUD CHURCHYARD CEMETERY – FRANCE

Seven South African casualties from World War One are buried in this cemetery.

HONNECHY BRITISH CEMETERY – FRANCE

Honnechy was part of the battlefield of Le Cateau in August 1914, and from that time it remained in German hands until the 9th of October 1918, when the 25th Division and the 6th Cavalry Brigade captured it. It had been a German Hospital centre, and from its capture until the end of October it was a British Field Ambulance centre. The village was inhabited by civilians during the whole of the War. The cemetery stands on the site of a German Cemetery begun in the Battle of Cambrai 1917 and used by German troops and then by British until the 24th of October 1918. The 300 German graves were removed to another burial ground, leaving 44 British graves; and the cemetery was re-made in 1922 and 1923 by the concentration of British graves almost entirely from German Cemeteries.

There are now over 450, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these, nearly a quarter are unidentified, and a special memorial is erected to one Canadian soldier known to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of eight soldiers from the United Kingdom whose graves could not be found during the concentrations from German cemeteries. Several graves in Plot I, Row C, identified as a whole but not individually, are marked by headstones bearing the additional words “Buried near this spot”. The cemetery covers an area of 1,691 square metres and is enclosed by a low rubble wall on three sides.

Three South African casualties from World War One are buried in this cemetery.

JANVAL CEMETERY – DIEPPE – FRANCE

Dieppe was used by Commonwealth forces as a minor base from December 1914 onwards, particularly for supplies of small arms ammunition, forage and flour. From January 1915 to May 1919, “A” Section of No.5 Stationary Hospital was stationed in the town. During this period, 219 Commonwealth burials were made in Janval Cemetery, a large civil burial ground. Most of the graves form two plots in Section T, but there are also three burials among the French and Belgian military graves in Section U. Section F of the cemetery also contains a small plot of 29 Second World War burials, mostly dating from the early months of occupation, before the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force in May 1940.

Two South African casualties from World War One are buried in this cemetery.

FREETOWN MEMORIAL – SIERRA- LEONE

The West Africans who died whilst serving with the Royal West African Frontier Force in West Africa, whose graves are not known, or are unmaintainable, are commemorated by name on memorials in the countries of their enlistment: men of Sierra Leone at Freetown, men of Nigeria at Abuja (originally Lagos), men of Ghana at Kumasi (originally Accra), and those of Gambia at Bathurst (now Banjul).

The Freetown Memorial commemorates 1,118 First World War casualties and 247 from the Second World War.

The memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

Five South African casualties from World War One are commemorated on this memorial.

CERISY-GAILLY MILITARY CEMETERY – FRANCE

Gailly was the site of the 39th and 13th Casualty Clearing Stations during the early part of 1917, and of the 41st Stationary Hospital from May 1917 to March 1918. The villages were then captured by the Germans but were retaken by the Australian Corps in August 1918. Cerisy-Gailly Military Cemetery (originally called the New French Military Cemetery) was begun in February 1917 and used by medical units until March 1918. After the recapture of the village, it was used by Australian units. The cemetery was increased after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefields of the Somme

The cemetery now contains 745 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War. 114 of the burials are unidentified and special memorials commemorate five casualties buried at Maricourt and Ste. Helene whose graves could not be found.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

Two South African casualties from World War One are buried in this cemetery.