DELVILLE WOOD'S WEEPING CROSS

'Their idea is our legacy, their sacrifice our inspiration.' ~ Delville Wood Memorial 

In a dense French forest on July 15th 1916, a South African Infantry Brigade of 3 153 men was ordered to capture and hold Delville Wood against the Germans. Over the next 5 nights and 6 days, an utterly relentless artillery bombardment decimated both men and grove. Only 750 soldiers were able to walk away. Called ‘Devil’s Wood’ for good reason, this charred and barren copse became instead a forest of corpses, in which a singular hornbeam tree survived. Cuttings of this remarkable tree have since been successfully cultivated in South Africa. 

In 1920 South Africa purchased the 63-hectare burial ground, and the Department of Forestry undertook the enormous task of reforestation. Legend has it that the double row of oak trees now lining the Avenue leading to Sir Herbert Baker’s Memorial were germinated from Huguenot acorns sourced from La Cotte in the Cape. Maintaining the original structure of wide avenues, today’s Dellville Wood has 3 separate memorials, commemorating the 25 000 fallen volunteers who served in both World Wars and Korea. Over 3 500 men in this woodland cemetery remain unidentified. 

Designed for Life

The Delville Memorial is a scaled-down version of the Castle of Good Hope, a 5-pointed pentagonal bastion designed for its defensive capabilities. Each point is named for one of the primary titles of William III of Orange, who later became the King of England: Leerdam, Buuren, Katzenellenbogen, Nassau and Oranje. The original Cape Castle built by Van Riebeeck was a square clay fort, rebuilt by the Dutch in stone by soldiers, sailors and slaves between 1666 and 1679. The Castle has never been fired upon.

Throughout history, five-pointed shapes are extremely significant. The 5-pointed star is tied to Phi and the Golden Ratio, signifying harmony, protection, and the connection between humanity and the cosmos. In classical belief systems, ‘5’ is the number of Man, and the five points allude to the elements of earth, fire, water, air and spirit. In Christendum and Renaissance archetypes, ‘5’ is representative of the Christ wounds, and the endless knot of knightly virtues: generosity, friendship, chastity, chivalry, and piety. And in the Islamic tradition and Eastern Sacred Geometry, ‘5’ speaks to interconnectedness and unity, linking the elements of Life: earth, wood, fire, water, and metal.  

Atop the Delville Wood Memorial is a bronze sculpture by Alan Turner, depicting the mythological Greek twins Castor and Pollux, clasping hands across the back of a war horse. The Dioscuri, as they are known, the patrons of sailors, travellers and athletes, are associated with the Gemini constellation. Their bond is a powerful symbol of loyalty and sacrifice between mortal and divine. Pollux, son of Zeus, was immortal, while his twin was sired by a mortal king. When Castor died in battle, Pollux implored Zeus to allow him to share his immortality with his brother. This wish was granted, and both were placed in the sky as stars in a unified display of cosmic balance. Their symbolism above the fallen soldiers of WW1, redolent with the duality of nature and the earthly connection between the realms of Heaven and Hell, is fitting. 

Crossing the Ts

Brigadier-General William Tanner led the initial assault into Delville Wood. After running out of ammunition, several days of brutal hand-to-hand combat ensued, and he was wounded on the evening of July 17th. After the war three crosses were fashioned from the razed wood of the area, which Brig. Gen. Tanner brought back to South Africa. Each year since, 110 years in total, and only between 15th and 20th July, the Delville Cross in Pietermaritzburg ‘weeps’ resin. In spite of extensive testing since the 1970s - by the Council for Scientific & Industrial Research, the Forestry Department and UKZN - no reasonable explanation for this phenomenon has been forthcoming.

The tree from which the ‘Weeping Cross’ was made is a Scots pine, Pinus Sylvestris, the only pine native to Northern Europe. Its timber is widely used in infrastructure, construction and shipping, while tar, turps and pulp result from its innards. Also known as a European Redwood for the colour of its young bark, the 2.6 million year old species tolerates poor soils, drought, frost, and almost all beetle invasions. Not only are its pine-scented leaves well known for cleansing the lungs and aiding respiratory ailments, but tea from pine needles, rich in vitamin C, was often used to prevent scurvy by sailors, in the absence of fruit and vegetables. Pine nuts are a highly nutritional addition to many cultural plates, while the shoots and male flowers have long been consumed.

The Scots pine is deeply significant in Norse and Celtic folklore, and is used to mark the burial sites of Chieftains. In First Nations and among the Native Indians, the pine is used to energetically cleanse ground and purify the mind and spirit of negative thought patterns, bringing clarity and renewed purpose. Across the USA, the pine is also synonymous with the Christmas tree.

Keep What Resonates

The Scots pine, like other conifers, exudes a sticky, thick resin when injured, through broken branches or insect attacks. A hydrocarbon, the resin has been used since time immemorial as a natural glue, a waterproof sealant, a fire starter and a folk remedy. Rosin – leftover turps distilled from the resin - is used by bow musicians, ballet dancers and gymnasts, as well as in electric soldering. And while there are many examples of conifers ‘weeping’ resin after their centenaries, certain conditions must be met in order for the hard resin pockets to activate and soften enough to ooze: extreme warmth or pressure.

Since its inception in the Pietermaritzburg Memorial Garden, which is overseen by the M.O.T.H.S., the Delville Wood Cross has commemorated its gruesome history each year in the South African winter (it is worth noting that the Durban Cross has never exhibited this behaviour, if climate is a decisive factor).

Whether or not one subscribes to the existence of stigmata in general, or specifically in perennial plants, there can be little doubt that remarkable events such as these, occurring so consistently, should not be considered lightly. Perhaps in the end what matters most is that the ‘weeping’ Delville Cross serves as a perpetual reminder of the suffering inflicted and borne by all living things, when the world goes to war. And it remains to be seen if legend will trump reality, and that the Cross will stop ‘weeping’ when all arms are forever laid to rest. 

“To the Immortal Dead from South Africa, who at the call of Duty made the Great Sacrifice on the battlefields of Africa, Asia and Europe and on the Sea, this memorial is dedicated in proud and graceful recognition by their countrymen.”