The Cape Corps at Delville Wood: South Africa's Forgotten Soldiers
The Story of South Africa: Empire, Apartheid, and Transformation — Fexingo HistoryPlay episode
Show notes
In this episode of The Story of South Africa, we dive into the little-known story of the Cape Corps, a segregated unit of Coloured South African soldiers who fought in both world wars. We focus on their harrowing experience at Delville Wood in 1916, where they served in a support role during one of the bloodiest battles of World War I. We explore the contradictions of a community denied rights at home yet called to fight for king and country abroad. Through the words of soldiers like William King and the unit's distinguished record in East Africa and at El Alamein, we trace how the Cape Corps embodied both the promise and betrayal of imperialism. We also discuss how their service was systematically erased from South African history, a silence that speaks volumes about the apartheid era. Join Lucas and Luna as they uncover this forgotten chapter and ask what it means for our understanding of South Africa's military past. #CapeCorps #DelvilleWood #WorldWarI #SouthAfrica #ColouredTroops #WilliamKing #ElAlamein #EastAfrica #Segregation #MilitaryHistory #ApartheidErasure #UnionDefenceForce #WW1 #History #FexingoHistory #ForgottenSoldiers #SouthAfricanHistory #Colonialism Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
