Team braves rough waters to place plaque in honour of the SS Mendi
A TEAM of six men have braved the rough waters of the English Channel to pay respect to the 616 South African soldiers who lost their lives on the S S Mendi, the World War 1 troopship.
The ship which was on its way to provide support at the Battle of the Somme, was struck early on the morning of February 21 1917 by an Allied ship, Darro. This collision left a hole in the S S Mendi which caused it to sink.
Of the 616 who died in the tragedy, 607 were black and 139 were from the Eastern Cape.
History curator at the Amathole Museum in King William’s Town Stephanie Victor said that royalty from Mpondoland, such as Chief Henry Bokleni, were among these men.
Chairman of the England-based branch of the SA Legion of Military Veterans Claudio Chiste said: “A plaque was meant to be placed by the South African and Royal Navy on the 100th anniversary but the waters were far too rough. So on August 8, we [the South African Legion] went to the site which is about 10 nautical miles from the Isle of Wight.
“The weather was terrible and the water was choppy. Overall, the 40m dive took about 30 minutes. We laid the plaque on one of the highest points of the wreck,” said Chiste.
The plaque is made of granite and weighs 20kg.
“Because it is so flat and thin it will not get picked up by currents. It is 45cm x 45cm which makes it easy for people who want to dive at the site, to see and read it,” he said.
Chiste told the Dispatch that for the past five years the South African Legion has held a parade in Hollybrook, Southampton where most of the soldiers were buried.
“There are many reasons we do these things. One is because we want to give these men the honour they originally deserved and another is to educate people. We see South Africans tearing down statues because they think the world wars were the white man’s war. This is not true though. Non-white South Africans made up about 40% of South Africa’s soldiers in World War 1 and roughly the same in World War 2.”