The Battle of Delville Wood a Personal Thank You

At the Battle of Delville Wood Enemy Artillery Fire Reached 400 Shells a Minute

They Crossed the Seas to Join the Fight In Delville Wood They Took Their Stand, Briton and Boer – Emma Creswell-Knütsen

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Fourteen years after the Boer Holocaust inflicted on them by the British Empire, between 1899 and 1901, the Boers were forced to fight a war on the side of the same Queen who was responsible for a holocaust in which over 30,000 Boer children mostly younger than 2 years were murdered and starved to death, many died from being fed with food mixed with fine pieces of glass, which caused internal bleeding, in British concentration camps in the Sovereign and legitimate home of the Boernation, the Republics of the Transvaal and Free State annexed and forced to a part of  South Africa by the British. In this same war which was known as the Anglo Boer War over 7,000 Boer women were also murdered and raped by British Soldiers during the genocide of innocent women and children by the ruthless British Empire under the rule and orders of Queen Victoria and her Generals at the time.

In 1910 South Africa was forced into a Union by the conquering British.  Then just over 4 years later as most Boer families were living in poverty due to the oppression of the British, my own Grandfather was forced to sign up and go to war on the side of the British, so that his family could have some money to survive with while he was fighting another mans war. This war was called the Great War, also officially known as World War One. It is said to be named the Great War because over 20 millions people were killed during this war, apparently for only one purpose, to change the world as it was known at the time and the Germans were used as the guinea pigs. This brings me to the reason for this article today…..

Its the 12th of July 2016 and all is not well with our planet there are wars all over, racial conflict, money wars, drug wars, religious wars, family wars you name it is happening right now.  However the world was not a better place 100 years ago. In 1916 thousands of South Africans including my Grandfather were preparing for one of the bloodiest battles in History, the Battle of Delville Wood, Waterlot Farm and Longueval.

If you have a family member as I, who was forced or who had volunteered to fight in this war you will find their names proudly displayed on this Delville Wood Rollcall which can be found at this link  http://www.delvillewood.com/rollcall.htm This Rollcall is not completely updated but is revised as new information is recieved. It is however in an alphabetical order for your convenience. This rollcall provides names of the men who were present in the ranks of the South African brigade at midnight on the 14th/15th July 1916 before its engagement in Delville Wood, Waterlot Farm and Longueval.

It does not include names of those killed or wounded during the fighting at Montauban, Bernafay and Trônes Woods from the 4th to 11th July 1916 as well as part of the 1st SAI engaged in the taking of the southern part of the village of Longueval on the 14th July 1916.

Moreover, this rollcall can not be considered as exhaustive concerning the British units of the Brigade, the 64th Field Coy, Royal Engineers, and the 28th Brigade Machine Gun Coy (mainly composed of men of the Highland Light Infantry). Of theses units, are mainly registered the names of the men killed or missing in action from the 14th to 20th July. There is no information concerning the majority of the survivors.

The redaction of this rollcall is mainly based on the work of Mr Ian Uys in his two reference books – Delville Wood and Rollcall, the Delville Wood Story – completed with the information obtained from the Roll of Honour of Delville Wood Commemorative Museum, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website,  some combatants’ narratives and historical books.

In conclusion I am the proud Grandson of Corporal Frans I Maritz who served in the 3rd South African Infantry during the Battle for Delville Wood in 1916. I salute him for putting his life at risk to protect our family in a time when we needed him most. Above all, I thank my God for bringing him home, as a wounded soldier and not a dead soldier.

I am however very sorry that the world and his people have forgotten him and all his fellow soldiers for their sacrifice.  This day will pass with very little if any reference to this battle or about his fellow soldiers who fought side by side with him in a war that really made no sense, other than joining to provide his family with a roof over their head and food to eat while he risked his life for his family. Thank you Oupa from your proud and thankful grandson.

 – Frans Maritz 4 WHISNews21