South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has led a solemn ceremony at the South African National Memorial in Longueval, France, paying tribute to the soldiers who fought and died in the Battle of Delville Wood during World War I.

Standing among rows of white headstones and beneath the towering memorial arch, Ramaphosa described Delville Wood as one of the most harrowing chapters in South Africa’s military history. South African troops, many of them volunteers, were ordered to hold the wood “at all costs” during the Somme offensive. In six days of relentless shelling and close-quarters combat, the brigade was almost annihilated.

“The men of Delville Wood endured what few human beings should ever be asked to endure. Their sacrifice deserves the eternal gratitude of our country and indeed of France as well,” Ramaphosa said, as wreaths were laid and a military band played the Last Post.

The president used the occasion to highlight how the story of South Africa’s involvement in the First World War has long been incomplete. While white combat troops were commemorated soon after the war, the tens of thousands of Black South Africans who served largely in non-combat roles were written out of the official narrative.

Ramaphosa called for a fuller, more honest remembrance that includes the South African Native Labour Corps and other Black units who toiled in dangerous conditions on the Western Front, often without recognition or the right to bear arms. “Our history must reflect the sacrifice of all who served,” he said, urging historians, educators and institutions to continue the work of recovery and inclusion.

Members of the South African National Defence Force formed a guard of honor at the memorial, their presence symbolizing a democratic military that now draws from all communities. General Rudzani Maphwanya, head of the SANDF, said the example of Delville Wood still shapes the ethos of today’s soldiers.

“Their commitment and their sacrifice is our ideal and our inspiration. Their commitment, courage and dedication remains what inspires us,” Maphwanya said.

Originally conceived to honor the South African Brigade that fought at Delville Wood, the Longueval memorial has gradually been reinterpreted as a place of remembrance for all South Africans who served in the First World War. The site now stands not only as a symbol of sacrifice on foreign soil, but also as a marker of South Africa’s ongoing effort to tell a more inclusive and truthful national story.