CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — The names are carved on poles of African hardwood that are set upright as if reaching for the sun. No one knows where the men they represent were buried.
But their names, forgotten for more than a century, have been revived and are now written in the records of history.
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Britain's Princess Anne, the President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, centre, in conversation with official during the opening of a memorial dedicated to more than 1,700 Black South African servicemen who died in non-combatant roles in World War I and have no known grave, in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
A Royal Marine officer attends the opening of a memorial dedicated to more than 1,700 Black South African servicemen who died in non-combatant roles in World War I and have no known grave, in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
Egyptian geese with goslings are seen next to an African "iroko" hardwood post bearing names and the date of death of 1,700 Black South African servicemen who died in non-combatant roles in World War I and have no known grave, in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
Britain's Princess Anne, the President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, walks in between an African "iroko" hardwood post bearing names and the date of death of 1,700 Black South African servicemen who died in non-combatant roles in World War I and have no known grave, in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
Lwanda Sindaphi, a praise poet performs a cultural tribute at the opening of a memorial dedicated to more than 1,700 Black South African servicemen who died in non-combatant roles in World War I and have no known grave, in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
Britain's Princess Anne, the President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, attends the opening of a memorial dedicated to more than 1,700 Black South African servicemen who died in non-combatant roles in World War I and have no known grave, in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
A memorials plaque dedicated to more than 1,700 Black South African servicemen who died in non-combatant roles in World War I and have no known grave, in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
Britain's Princess Anne, the President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, attends the opening of a memorial dedicated to more than 1,700 Black South African servicemen who died in non-combatant roles in World War I and have no known grave, in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
Britain's Princess Anne, the President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, walks in between an African "iroko" hardwood post bearing names and the date of death of 1,700 Black South African servicemen who died in non-combatant roles in World War I and have no known grave, in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
A memorials plaque dedicated to more than 1,700 Black South African servicemen who died in non-combatant roles in World War I and have no known grave, in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
A praise poet performs a cultural tribute at the opening of a memorial dedicated to more than 1,700 Black South African servicemen who died in non-combatant roles in World War I and have no known grave, in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
African "iroko" hardwood posts bear the names and the date of death of 1,700 Black South African servicemen who died in non-combatant roles in World War I and have no known grave, in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
Black South African servicemen who died in non-combat roles on the Allied side during World War I and have no known grave have been recognized with a memorial featuring 1,772 names.
An inscription on a granite block at the memorial in Cape Town says: “Your legacies are preserved here.”
Because they were Black, they were not allowed to carry arms. They were members of the Cape Town Labor Corps, transporting food, ammunition and other supplies and building roads and bridges during the Great War.
They didn't serve in Europe but in the fringe battles in Africa, where Allied forces fought in the then-German colonies of German South West Africa (now Namibia) and German East Africa (now Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi).
The men made the same ultimate sacrifice as around 10 million others who died serving in armies in the 1914-1918 war.
After the war, they were not recognized because of the racial policies of British colonialism and then South Africa's apartheid regime.
The memorial finally rights a historical wrong, said the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the British organization that looks after war graves and built the new memorial in Cape Town's oldest public garden.
The memorial was opened Wednesday by Britain's Princess Anne, the commission's president.
“It ensures the names and stories of those who died will echo in history for future generations,” Princess Anne said. "It is important to recognize that those we have come to pay tribute to have gone unacknowledged for too long. We will remember them.”
When her speech ended, a lone soldier played “The Last Post” on his bugle to commemorate the Black servicemen as war dead, 106 years, two months and 11 days after the end of World War I.
While South Africa has several memorials dedicated to its white soldiers who died in both world wars, the Black servicemen's contribution was ignored for decades.
It was in danger of being lost forever until a researcher found evidence of their service in South African army documents around 10 years ago, said Commonwealth War Graves Commission operational manager David McDonald, who oversaw the South African project.
Researchers discovered the more than 1,700 Black servicemen and the war graves commission traced the families of six of the dead, most of them from deeply rural South African regions.
Four of those families were represented at Wednesday's ceremony. They laid wreaths at the foot of the memorial and were able to touch the individual poles dedicated to their lost relatives and where their names are inscribed.
“It made us very proud. It made us very happy,” said Elliot Malunga Delihlazo, whose great-grandfather, Bhesengile, was among those honored.
Delihlazo said his family only knew that Bhesengile went to war and never came back.
“Although it pains us ... that we can’t find the remains, at last we know that he died in 1917,” Delihlazo said. “Now the family knows. Now, at last, we know.”
AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
Britain's Princess Anne, the President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, centre, in conversation with official during the opening of a memorial dedicated to more than 1,700 Black South African servicemen who died in non-combatant roles in World War I and have no known grave, in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
A Royal Marine officer attends the opening of a memorial dedicated to more than 1,700 Black South African servicemen who died in non-combatant roles in World War I and have no known grave, in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
Egyptian geese with goslings are seen next to an African "iroko" hardwood post bearing names and the date of death of 1,700 Black South African servicemen who died in non-combatant roles in World War I and have no known grave, in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
Britain's Princess Anne, the President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, walks in between an African "iroko" hardwood post bearing names and the date of death of 1,700 Black South African servicemen who died in non-combatant roles in World War I and have no known grave, in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
Lwanda Sindaphi, a praise poet performs a cultural tribute at the opening of a memorial dedicated to more than 1,700 Black South African servicemen who died in non-combatant roles in World War I and have no known grave, in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
Britain's Princess Anne, the President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, attends the opening of a memorial dedicated to more than 1,700 Black South African servicemen who died in non-combatant roles in World War I and have no known grave, in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
A memorials plaque dedicated to more than 1,700 Black South African servicemen who died in non-combatant roles in World War I and have no known grave, in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
Britain's Princess Anne, the President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, attends the opening of a memorial dedicated to more than 1,700 Black South African servicemen who died in non-combatant roles in World War I and have no known grave, in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
Britain's Princess Anne, the President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, walks in between an African "iroko" hardwood post bearing names and the date of death of 1,700 Black South African servicemen who died in non-combatant roles in World War I and have no known grave, in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
A memorials plaque dedicated to more than 1,700 Black South African servicemen who died in non-combatant roles in World War I and have no known grave, in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
A praise poet performs a cultural tribute at the opening of a memorial dedicated to more than 1,700 Black South African servicemen who died in non-combatant roles in World War I and have no known grave, in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
African "iroko" hardwood posts bear the names and the date of death of 1,700 Black South African servicemen who died in non-combatant roles in World War I and have no known grave, in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Clark Hunt was not quite 5 years old when he settled into his seat in Tulane Stadium beside his parents to watch the Kansas City Chiefs, the franchise his father had founded in the brazen days of the AFL, as they played the Minnesota Vikings in Super IV.
Hunt doesn't remember the game itself. But once in a while, photos will surface that he has never seen before.
“I do have a photo of me sitting with my parents in the stands, right? I think they were benches. It sort of looked like a corner,” said Hunt, now 59, who assumed control of the Chiefs when his father, the visionary Lamar Hunt, died in December 2006.
“I guess that shows you how things have changed,” Hunt said.
Indeed, it's a safe bet that Hunt and the rest of his family had comfortable seats in a luxury suite when the Chiefs faced the Eagles on Sunday at the Superdome. Led by Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, and with a celebrity fan base that includes Taylor Swift and Caitlin Clark, the Chiefs were chasing an unprecedented third consecutive Lombardi Trophy.
The fact was not lost on Hunt that they were trying to make history in the same city where they won their first Super Bowl with a 23-7 victory over the Vikings on Jan. 11, 1970. In fact, Hunt seemed to view the coincidence as something closer to kismet, a point that he underscored by pointing out that the Chiefs spent this week practicing at Tulane University.
“I hate to say I don't have any memories from that Super Bowl,” he said, "but getting to go to Tulane where we're training and being literally a stone's throw from the old stadium where we won Super Bowl IV is really special.
“I always think about my parents Super Bowl week,” Hunt added, “There's no way not to. But this one is going to be special.”
There's an argument to be made that nobody had a greater influence on the big game than Lamar Hunt.
The oil magnate was part of the “Foolish Club” that founded the AFL, back when they were being kept out of the NFL, and he was instrumental in the merger years later that ultimately brought the two professional football leagues together.
In a letter to NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, Hunt mused about the pending title game, saying: “I have kiddingly called it the ‘Super Bowl,’ which obviously can be approved upon.” He was inspired by the must-have Christmas gift of the year that his wife, Norma, had gotten Clark Hunt and the rest of the kids: the Super Ball, made by toy company Wham-O.
Lamar Hunt regularly attended the Super Bowl, though he never saw his Chiefs play in it again. They wouldn't make it back until Andy Reid arrived in town, and Mahomes and Kelce helped Kansas City beat the 49ers in February 2020 — five full decades after they triumphed over the “Purple People Eaters” and the rest of the Vikings at Tulane Stadium.
Norma Hunt continued to attend the Super Bowl until her death in June 2023. At the time, she was one of four people — and the only woman — who had attended every game, beginning with the Chiefs' loss to the Packers on Jan. 15, 1967.
The Chiefs were back Sunday for the fifth time in six years. And they were chasing a threepeat against the Eagles, the team Kansas City beat a couple of years ago in Glendale, Arizona, to win the first of its back-to-back championships.
“I would say every Chiefs fan is spoiled, and that includes me, right? Because it has been such a special five or six years," Hunt told a small group of local reporters this week. “And I think we know we're spoiled because of the journey that it took to get to this point, and the five decades we went without getting back to the Super Bowl.”
This was the 11th time that New Orleans played host to the big game, tying Miami for the most of any city. The French Quarter had been packed all week with fans wearing Chiefs red and Eagles green, creating a kaleidoscope of Christmas colors stretching from Jackson Square to Canal Street, and bubbling all the way up to the Superdome.
The home of the Saints, and the de facto replacement for Tulane Stadium, was hosting the game for the eighth time.
“I don't think any of us really could have dreamed it being like this, and having the success we've had,” Clark Hunt said. “My dad would have loved it because in his heart, he was a fan — him and my mom were fans, first and foremost. And he would love it for our fans, because that was always a focus of his.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
FILE - San Francisco 49ers cheerleaders perform during a power outage at the Superdome in the second half of the NFL Super Bowl XLVII football game between the 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens, in New Orleans, Feb. 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
FILE - New Orleans Saints fans listen to the Goo Goo Dolls in front of the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Sept. 25, 2006, upon reopening for the New Orleans Saints' first game in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina struck more than a year earlier. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt holds the Lamar Hunt Trophy after the Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, wife Tavia Shackles Hunt, center, and daughter Gracie Hunt pose on the red carpet at the NFL Honors award show ahead of the Super Bowl 59 football game, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)