“All gave some but some gave all…”

Remembrance Day is observed every year on 11 November and marks the anniversary of the Armistice which ended the First World War (1914 to 1918). At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the guns fell silent to end the largest global man-made catastrophe known until that time. The “Great War” or the “war to end all wars” cost the lives of approximately 8 634 300 combatants of every race and creed – there was hardly a nation on earth that was untouched by the immense brutality and magnitude of this war. Twenty years later, the Second World War (1939-1945) saw the loss of approximately 24 517 000 combatants’ lives. In addition to these numbers, millions of civilians needlessly died during both these conflicts.

As a comparatively young country, South Africa nevertheless made contributions to the Allied causes in both World Wars and in the Korean War (1950-3). In the First World War, 245 419 South Africans of all races volunteered for military service; during the Second World War, 342 692 South African men and women of every race came forward; and in the Korean War, 826 men saw service with No 2 Squadron, South African Air Force while ten officers of the South African Armoured Corps served with the British Army.

As South Africans continue to unite as one nation, and in the midst of trying times, we should utilise Remembrance Day to remember the 12 452 South African casualties suffered in the First World War, the 38 208 casualties suffered in the Second World War, and the 34 pilots killed in the Korean War. Many war graves to South Africans lie far from home, in Namibia, in France and Belgium, in Tanzania, Ethiopia, the Middle East, Italy, Korea and elsewhere. Closer to home, we should remember the many South Africans who died in the conflicts on our borders and in the Liberation Struggle of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. As yet, there are no reliable figures for these casualties, but what is important is that they bravely contributed to freedom of our beloved Country and to building our Country as we know it today.

The observance of 11 November is not about celebrating any victory, nor about boasting about achievements in conflict. Far be from us any such thought. In this regard, the quote by Colonel Frank P. Hobgood is apt – “War does not determine who is right — only who is left.” Simply put, the observance of Remembrance Day is about showing respect for those who were willing to serve their country or fellow oppressed compatriots and, if need be, to make the ultimate sacrifice so that we who are here now can have the life that we know. This sentiment is strikingly reflected in the Soldier’s Prayer which states:

“For your tomorrow we gave our today

Our gift was great, but you must now give a greater gift

We died. Now you must nobly live”

As we salute those individuals who have fallen together in conflicts like siblings, what better tribute can there be but to commit, each one of us as South Africans, to the quest for a non-racial, equal and inclusive society free from the horrors of conflict or oppression.

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Marc Humphries

Director | Legal, Johannesburg