SS MENDI We Die Like Brothers Education Resource Pack In February 1917, the First World War troopship Mendi sank after a collision in the English Channel. Almost 650 men, many of them black South Africans, perished in the freezing water. This is their story. This pack compliments the teaching of history at Key Stage 3 (England) and Grades 7-9 (South Africa). It can be used to support a visit to Delville Wood Memorial in France, where the We Die Like Brothers exhibition about the Mendi was opened in summer 2015, or it can be used to explore the First World War in the classroom. Underwater photographs courtesyUnderwater photographs of Martin Davies It includes: Four posters introducing - The First World War The South African Native Labour Corps The Loss of the Mendi The Aftermath and the Mendi’s Legacy Activities to further explore the Mendi and its legacy - 1. Understanding Chronology 2. Understanding Significance 3. Exploring Inequality 4. The Death Dance 5. Making Links 6. In Memoriam 7. Exploring Archaeology 8. An International Story Links to further sources of information Glossary – words in green can be found in the glossary ©Cory Library/Rhodes University/Africa Media Online Glossary Apartheid – From 1948 until 1994 South Africa National significance – Things that are important was divided by apartheid. Apartheid was a system to people or affect people across a country. of racial segregation, keeping blacks and whites apart. Oral tradition –These are the stories about the past that are passed from person to person that Artefact – An object made, shaped or used by a are not written down, or which are written down person which can teach us about the past. long after the events they describe. Bridge – The bridge is the room on a ship from Port – If you are stood on board a ship, facing where it is controlled. The Captain, or Officer on towards the front (which is called the ‘bow’), port Watch mans the bridge. is on your left. Chart-room – The room on a ship where the Porthole – The name given to a window on a ship. charts, maps and instruments are kept. They are often round and have thick glass. Chronology and chronological – The order in Primary source – A document, picture or object which events occurred, beginning with the earliest that was created at the time of the period being and ending with the most recent. For example, the studied. Letters written by the men on board the First World War comes before the Second World Mendi are primary sources for learning about the War when they are placed in chronological order. First World War, the geophysical survey image of the Mendi is a primary source for learning about Geophysical survey – Archaeologists use how the ship looks today. geophysical survey, or geophys, to create images of what is under the ground, or under the sea. There ‘rang Full Speed Astern’ – This means that the are lots of different techniques that can be used. At ship was directed to go backwards at full speed, or sea, a device towed behind a boat sends signals to to reverse. the seabed, and into the seabed, and measures how long it takes for them to bounce back. Starboard - If you are stood on board a ship, Computer software then creates a picture of what facing towards the front (which is called the ‘bow’), is below the water. starboard is on your right. International significance – Things that are Triple Alliance – An alliance between Germany, important to people or affect people in more than Austria-Hungary and Italy formed in 1882. one country. Triple Entente – An alliance between Russia, Keel – The bottom of the ship. France and the United Kingdom formed in 1907. Local significance – Things that are important to people or affect people in a small area, for example, within a town or village. SS MENDI Links to other sources for investigating the Mendi This Education Resource Pack is part of the web presence of the We Die Like Brothers exhibition, which opened at the South African National War Memorial’s museum at Delville Wood on the Somme in France in July 2015. www.delvillewood.com Dr Shawn Sobers takes an innovative approach to the commemoration of the Mendi. His work can be found here : http://www.shawnsobers.com/african-kinship-systems-emotional-science-case-study-2-ss-mendi-tragedy/ The Commonwealth War Graves Commission produced a learning DVD about the Mendi. It can be ordered from: http://www.cwgc.org/learning-and-resources/primary.aspx The National Maritime Museum, the Imperial War Museum and The National Archives have documents and images on the Mendi. Use their catalogue search engines. Wessex Archaeology has investigated the wreck. Our work can be found here: http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/projects/marine/eh/ssmendi/index.php There is a collection of artefacts recovered from the wreck of the Mendi at the Shipwreck Centre and Maritime Museum, Arreton, Isle of Wight. Whilst Wessex Archaeology have checked the suitability of third party websites prior to the release of this document, we cannot guarantee that the links are still current, or hold the same content. Wessex Archaeology cannot take responsibility for third party websites. This project has been funded by Historic England https://www.historicengland.org.uk/news-and-features/first-world-war-home-front/ SS MENDI The First World War The First World War, or Great War, raged from Following the assassination of the Austrian Archduke 1914 to 1918. Britain entered the war on by a Serbian man in June 1914, Austria-Hungary 4th August 1914. declared war on Serbia. Russia mobilised troops to support Serbia; Germany invaded Belgium and On one side were the Triple Alliance of Germany, Luxembourg, and started to progress towards Austria-Hungary and Italy. Against them were the France. Before the war, Britain had signed a treaty Triple Entente formed by Britain, France and Russia. obliging it to protect Belgium. Britain therefore These alliances were formed long before 1914 and declared war on Germany. The First World War had were supposed to help prevent war. Instead, the begun. distrust each felt for the other contributed to the causes of the First World War. Relationships within As the conflict deepened, countries from outside of the alliances were complicated, and when war was Europe entered the war. Britain was supported by declared in 1914 Italy didn’t enter the conflict to the British Empire and therefore people from across support the Triple Alliance. When Italy did enter the the globe, including Australia, Canada, India, New war in 1915 it was to support the Triple Entente. Zealand, the Caribbean and many parts of Africa became involved. There are many different reasons why the war began and, over 100 years later, historians still can’t The Western Front is the name given to the places agree on which the most important were. Some of where the two opposing forces faced each other in the possible causes are listed below – do you know France and Belgium. The men on the Front lived, what all of the words mean? Can you identify which fought and often died in trenches. Conditions were are long term causes, and which is a short-term awful. Trench warfare was very difficult and cause? dangerous for the troops. Nationalism As well as the Western Front, there was an Eastern Front where huge Russian armies clashed with Militarism Germany and its allies. Combat extended to the sea and into the air and battles were fought in Africa, Imperialism the Middle East and across the globe. Complex alliances The First World War ended on 11 November 1918. By the end of the conflict over 17 million people The assassination of Austrian Archduke Ferdinand were dead. Great Britain Germany Russian Empire Austria-Hungary France ItalyI y The Triple Entente The Triple Alliance SS MENDI The South African Native Labour Corps The Labour Corps were formed in 1917 to support Despite this, many South African men signed up. Britain during the First World War. They were a They felt that supporting the British Army would non-combatant force which means that they were demonstrate loyalty and trustworthiness, and not trained to fight. Their job was to support the hopefully gain them a voice in decisions when they British Army by building roads, driving, felling trees returned from the war. and moving materials. The men were paid for their work and whilst the Why didn’t they fight? wage was slightly more than the money they might South Africa was a deeply divided society when war earn at home, it was not as much as that paid to the broke out in 1914. The white government had white men serving the British Army. oppressed the native population, taken the majority of the farmland for themselves and left the black The South African Native Labour Corps was not the population with little option but to work in mines only labour corps. India and China were amongst and other heavy industries. The government decided other nations who formed labour corps to aid the that training and arming the black men whose war effort. Despite having broken out amongst lifestyles they had subjugated and whose land they European countries, the First World War was truly a had taken would be a bad idea. A secret report global war. written in 1915 said: ‘…no proposal for training Natives upon a large scale is likely to be acceptable…as the return, after peace, of a large body of trained and disciplined men would create obvious difficulties and might seriously menace the supremacy of whites.’ Bonar Law, Secretary of Colonies, 1915 The South African Native Labour Corps were not trained to fight because the government of South Africa, which was made up of white men, was concerned that the black troops might use military training to rebel against their oppression at home when the war was over.