The South African
'The six days and five nights during which the South African
Brigade held the most difficult post on the
British front - a corner of death on which the enemy fire was
concentrated at all hours from three sides,
and into which fresh German troops, vastly superior in number to
the defence, made periodic incursions
only to be driven back - constitute an epoch of terror and glory
scarcely equalled in the campaign. There
were positions as difficult, but they were not held so long;
there were cases of as protracted a defence; but
the assault was not so violent and continuous . . The high value
the enemy set upon [Delville Wood] is
proved by the fact that he used his best troops against it ...
The South Africans measured their strength
against the flower of the German army, and did not draw back from
the challenge.
As a feat of human daring and fortitude the fight is worthy of
eternal remembrance by South Africa
and Britain, but no historian's pen can give that memory the
sharp outline and the glowing colour
which it deserves.
At midnight on 14 July, when General Lukin received his orders,
the Brigade numbered 121 officers
and 3 032 men. When Lt Col Thackeray marched out on the 20th, he
had a remnant of 143, and the
total ultimately assembled in Happy Valley was about 750.'
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Delville Wood after the battle