For those in peril on the sea

THE anniversary of the sinking of the SS Mendi, one of the worst maritime disasters of the 20th century to occur in British waters, but which is little known, is being marked by the publication of a new book by Historic England, We Die Like Brothers (£17.99).

The SS Mendi was a British ship that sunk off the Isle of Wight on February 21, 1917, with the loss of 616 South African, mostly black, servicemen on their way to the Western Front.

The ship went down in 20 minutes. In foggy conditions, the Mendi had been rammed by the Darro, a British mail ship twice its size. To compound the tragedy, the Darro’s captain made no attempt to rescue men who had leapt overboard into the freezing waters.

The incident became a rallying cause for South African blacks in the Apartheid era and the authors of We Die Like Brothers, John Gribble and Graham Scott, examine the political repercussions, as well as its place in marine heritage. The wreck was only discovered in 1974 and is now listed under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986. Jack Watkins