A First World War disaster at sea, the loss of the SS Mendi, which claimed the lives of more than 600 South African servicemen has been marked with a wreath laying ceremony off the Isle of Wight today (Tuesday).
SS Mendi sunk on 21st February 1917 just 11 miles off St Catherine’s Point. The 4,000-ton vessel, carrying the last contingent of the South African Native Labour Corps, was struck by the much larger SS Darro in thick fog. The Mendi sank within 25 minutes and the vast majority of those on board drowned.
The disaster claimed 646 lives in total. Most have no grave but the sea and are remembered with honour by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) at the Hollybrook Memorial in Southampton. 9 men, whose bodies were washed ashore, are buried in Milton Cemetery in Portsmouth.
Today a selection of wreaths have been laid in the presence of relatives of those who perished, with South African Navy’s SAS Amatola and 2 Royal Navy vessels in attendance.
On Monday a centenary memorial service was hosted by the South African High Commissioner to the United Kingdom in Southampton and was attended by Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal.
Samantha Daynes at the CWGC said:
“The contribution of African servicemen must never be forgotten, and the centenary of this terrible day deserves to be remembered by the public.
“So many times when we think of the First World War, we tend to forget about those who died fighting across the oceans. This event will serve to highlight the bravery of those 600-plus souls who perished in our home seas and to remember them with honour.”
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On the edge of Niton, a bottle filled with South African sand was placed in the sea as a tribute by a family with connections to the area of Losotho. A list of names of those who died is contained within.
