In the misty early morning on 21st of February 1917, the SS Mendi, a crowded troopship made her cautious way to France. Suddenly, another vessel, the SS Darro, loomed up out of the fog, and rammed the troopship, causing her to sink rapidly into the icy waters of the English channel.
The SS Mendi, carried 802 black South African non-combatant troops to assist in the Great War as labourers. That fateful night, over 600 men lost their lives, making this one of South Africa's greatest military disasters.