Final legal note on the SS Mendi

A brief report appeared on the 13th of November in the Times, which was the last of the legal conclusions around the sinking of the SS Mendi troopship, from which 616 South Africans lost their lives. The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company requested to have their liability limited for the collision of their SS Darro and the SS Mendi ships, under the Merchant Shipping Acts. The accident was found to be caused by the SS Darro and the loss of life by the negligence of the master of that ship, Henry Stump, to conduct sufficient rescue assistance of the SS Mendi men stranded in the water. The court accepted the payment of £87 415 16s. 10d. for the loss of property and it was agreed that bail would be given to the loss of life if claims were to be made. What is of significant note is that the relatives and dependents of the deceased men who died, did not claim, or most likely did not know that they could claim compensation for their losses.