Post by Administrator on Feb 21, 2024 22:15:49 GMT
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
On this day 105 years ago the SS Mendi sank off the south cost of the UK.
Almost 650 First World War South African servicemen and crew died. Those who have no known grave are commemorated upon the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's Hollybrook Memorial.
Southampton Stories
Mendi was a mail ship chartered by the British Government as a troop carrier during the First World War. On 21 February 1917, she collided with a freighter, just south of the Isle of Wight. 636 of the 913 people on board lost their lives, most of them African troops from the South African Native Labour Corps. An inquiry held afterwards found that many could have been saved if the freighter had sent out boats to help after the collision.
It was one of the worst maritime disasters in British waters in the twentieth century and the dead are commemorated on the Hollybrook Memorial in #Southampton. The tragedy is considered to be one of the worst in the history of the South African military.
The men of the South African Native Labour Corps hoped that their contribution to the war effort would lead to greater political freedom and economic opportunities after the war. However, their hopes proved unfounded and Mendi became a focus of the struggle for black civil rights in South Africa. Today, 21 February is recognised in South Africa as Armed Forces Day, also known as Mendi Day.
In the 1980s, the Mendi bell was recovered unofficially from the wreck. It came to light in 2017 and was on display in SeaCity Museum until a decision was made with regard to its future. In August 2018, the bell was presented by Prime Minister Theresa May to the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa.
On this day 105 years ago the SS Mendi sank off the south cost of the UK.
Almost 650 First World War South African servicemen and crew died. Those who have no known grave are commemorated upon the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's Hollybrook Memorial.
Southampton Stories
Mendi was a mail ship chartered by the British Government as a troop carrier during the First World War. On 21 February 1917, she collided with a freighter, just south of the Isle of Wight. 636 of the 913 people on board lost their lives, most of them African troops from the South African Native Labour Corps. An inquiry held afterwards found that many could have been saved if the freighter had sent out boats to help after the collision.
It was one of the worst maritime disasters in British waters in the twentieth century and the dead are commemorated on the Hollybrook Memorial in #Southampton. The tragedy is considered to be one of the worst in the history of the South African military.
The men of the South African Native Labour Corps hoped that their contribution to the war effort would lead to greater political freedom and economic opportunities after the war. However, their hopes proved unfounded and Mendi became a focus of the struggle for black civil rights in South Africa. Today, 21 February is recognised in South Africa as Armed Forces Day, also known as Mendi Day.
In the 1980s, the Mendi bell was recovered unofficially from the wreck. It came to light in 2017 and was on display in SeaCity Museum until a decision was made with regard to its future. In August 2018, the bell was presented by Prime Minister Theresa May to the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa.
