South African Native Labour Corps
South African Native Labour Corps | |
---|---|
Active | 1916 – January 1918 |
Country | South Africa |
Allegiance | South African Army |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Colonel S.A.M. Pritchard |
The South African Native Labour Corps (SANLC) was a force of workers formed in 1916 in response to a
Background
The South African Native Labour Corps or Contingent has its origins in a plan by the Imperial War Cabinet to employ labour from South Africa and other Commonwealth nations to relieve the shortage of labour at the front and at French ports as ship shortages required that ships be unloaded and returned to transport duties as quickly as possible.[2]: 62 About 25,000 South Africans were to be recruited, of whom 21,000 were transported via requisitioned merchant steamships to France.[2]: 61 The first two companies arrived in France on 20 November 1916 and the last group of men left France on 5 January 1918.[2]: 61 Prime Minister Louis Botha, also Minister of Native Affairs, was involved in the negotiations with the British and ensured that the recruits would have no combat role, with work behind the front lines at ports, through railway, quarrying work and forestry.[2]: 61–63 The South African government wanted to ensure that no black man fought together with a white man on equal terms as this would break down the colour bar between the races leading to the contamination of social and political relations.[2]: 63 This had implications for the working class in South Africa as a labour division was required between the two races.[2]: 73
Recruitment process
The South African parliament did not have to approve the formation of the SANLC as all costs were paid by the British government.
Opposition
In addition to the South African government's attempt to manage the use of these recruits, opposition to the recruitment of black men to the SANLC came from many quarters of South African society. The
Deployment
Colonel S.A.M. Pitchard, a member of the Native Affairs Department, was appointed as Officer Commanding the South African Native Labour Corps and arrived in France in October 1916 before the first battalion of 2000 men arrived in November.
Casualties
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records 1,304 deaths for the South African Native Labour Corps whose graves and memorials are found mostly in the United Kingdom, France and South Africa.[3] Thirteen black servicemen were killed by their officers and NCO's when they mutinied over the imprisonment of a colleague though this incident was suppressed by the South African government.[2]: 79 Another 331 died in France of medical reasons, probably tuberculosis.[2]: 77 Lastly 607 black servicemen and nine white officers or NCO's died when the ship SS Mendi sank in a collision with another ship in the English Channel.
War decorations
The South African government issued no war service medal to the black servicemen and the special medal issued by King George V to the troops that served the Empire (the British War Medal) was disallowed and not issued to the SANLC by the South African government.[2]: 83 It was also said that any compensation scheme issued to servicemen by the South African government was said to be unfair.[2]: 83 [4]
See also
References
- ^ "World War I and the South African Native Labour Contingent". South African History Online.
- ^ JSTOR 180612.
- ^ "Commonwealth War Graves Commission". CWGC. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
- ^ "Military History Journal". Vol 2 No 2. The South African Military History Society. December 1971. Retrieved 29 March 2015.