2006年VOA标准英语-New Documentary Honors Doomed WWI South African

By Suzanne Chislett
London
11 October 2006
 
watch Chislett report

The forgotten role that black South Africans played in World War I is finally being told.  Almost 90 years after the sinking of a ship carrying black South African troops, the story has been turned into a documentary. The film got its first screening at the South Africa High Commission in London - and reporter Suzanne Chislett was there.

 
South Africa Native Labour
Let Us Die Like Brothers is the story of the loss of 607 members of the South Africa Native Labour Corps¹. They were among 800 soldiers who traveled from South Africa to Britain to join the allied² fight in World War I.

On February 21, 1917, their ship, the SS Mendi, sank in the English Channel after it was hit by another Allied vessel³.

The story is little-known. Even in South Africa itself, the role of the so-called native fighters in the war was largely ignored by the country's white leaders, while in Britain only names on a memorial in the port of Southampton commemorate⁴ their sacrifice.

In collaboration⁵ with American cable television's "History Channel", the Commonwealth⁶ War Graves Commission has launched an educational resource on CD-ROM which is being distributed to high schools across Britain.

 
Sir Peter Squire⁷
Sir Peter Squire is Vice-Chairman of the Commission, which was established in 1917 and commemorates⁸ the 1.7 million Commonwealth troops who died in the first and second World Wars. "The first and second world wars are now very much a part of the national curriculum, and so this is a golden opportunity to make sure that our youngsters are aware of the 20,000 South Africans who died in both world wars," he explains.

Launched at the start of Black History Month in Britain, the documentary is part of a campaign to correct the record, and acknowledge the role played by soldiers from the Commonwealth, and in this case South Africa.

 
Lindiwe Mabuza
"We all celebrate war heroes all over the world," said Lindiwe Mabuza, South Africa's High Commissioner⁹ to London, "but these were black, and got forgotten in the process of marking the bravery of others."

The SS Mendi sank in just 20 minutes, but it has taken nearly a century to recognize the sacrifice of those lost souls.

1 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

2 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

3 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

4 commemorate   

vt.纪念，庆祝

参考例句：

• This building was built to commemorate the Fire of London.这栋大楼是为纪念“伦敦大火”而兴建的。
• We commemorate the founding of our nation with a public holiday.我们放假一日以庆祝国庆。

5 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

6 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

7 squire   

n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅

参考例句：

• I told him the squire was the most liberal of men.我告诉他乡绅是世界上最宽宏大量的人。
• The squire was hard at work at Bristol.乡绅在布里斯托尔热衷于他的工作。

8 commemorates   

n.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的名词复数 )v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A tombstone is erected in memory of whoever it commemorates. 墓碑是为纪念它所纪念的人而建的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A tablet commemorates his patriotic activities. 碑文铭记他的爱国行动。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。