Remembering Volunteer ELEANOR EILEEN. BLACK, a volunteer with the Voluntary Aid Detachment who drowned at sea from Royal Mail Ship RMS “Kenilworth Castle” on 4th June 1918. Eleanor was daughter of Randlord Black, of Queen's Road, Parktown, Johannesburg. Eleanor is remembered in York Minster, York, UK on the Panel commemorating the South Africa Army Nursing Service and on Hollybrook Memorial in Southampton, Hampshire, UK.
Remembering Volunteer DOROTHEA KATHLEEN MARY BOLUS of the South African Voluntary Aid Detachment, a passenger on the RMS “Kenilworth Castle”, who drowned on 4th June 1918. Dorothea was daughter of Mrs. Louise Bolus, of "Maisonnette," Kenilworth, Cape Town, South Africa. Dorothea was buried in Plymouth’s Efford Cemetery, in Devonshire, UK - Grave Reference: Church. C. 4785.
The Royal Mail Ship “Kenilworth Castle” was one of the first mail ships commissioned for the Union-Castle Shipping Line. Built at Harland and Wolfe, Belfast in 1903, she was launched in 1904 and requisitioned as a troop carrier during the First World War. The ship was in a convoy sailing to Britain. It was dark and they had to sail without lights to avoid detection by German submarines. 35 miles off Portsmouth, two of the Royal Navy escort ships were in collision - HMS “Rival” and HMS “Kent”. Depth chargers from “Rival” exploded under the “Kenilworth Castle”, which was badly damaged. The order was given to abandon ship. Some of the life boats were lowered but became swamped and 15 people were drowned, among them Eleanor Black and Dorothea Bolus. The RMS “Kenilworth Castle” eventually reached Portsmouth, where the remainder of her passengers were put ashore. The ship was repaired, went to sea again after the war and was broken up in 1936.
Here is an extract from a letter from Nurse Bracken, one of the nurses who survived in which she described the incident: “I'm sending you one of our newspaper accounts of the affair because it describes what happened to the lifeboat in which Black, Bolus, a Wynberg girl called Zondendyk, and myself were. When the boat capsized I managed to hang on to the side and hung and hung until the boat righted itself but it was the most ghastly few minutes I ever lived through. I remember a big dark wave washing right over me and something - an oar, I think, pressed against my throat until I thought I should choke and something else crushed my eye against the boat's edge and I saw stars and felt my eyeball must burst. My corsets were torn right off me and my legs were bruised and bleeding. Then the boat righted itself and I found myself inside. There were just two of us left, the other a fellow passenger named Dawson and his pyjamas were simply tom to rags! Our boat was quite full of water and we had lost our oars and rudder.
We didn't see or hear anything of the others then and were drifting right away until the Kenilworth turned and her wash brought us rushing back. I really thought that was the very end but we did a surprising turn and instead of crashing into her we rushed along her side and crossed her stern so close that Mr Dawson was struck in the mouth and his teeth knocked out. Then we got out on the other side and that was the last we saw of the Kenilworth. It was horribly dark and we could hear the dreadful calls for help from men and women in the water but could not get near to them. Two women drifted right up to the boat and these were saved. One was the young wife of a Colonel of Marines - the other Nurse Zondendyk. I found a bucket and a scoop tied to the boat and these were used to bale out the water. Mr Dawson and I baled and baled until we were too tired to do any more but the boat felt almost respectable again so we all sat huddled together shivering and taking turns at being sea sick!”
Read more from Nurse ‘s letter here: http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol054kc.html
Original Source: Commonwealth War Graves Commission List of Female Casualties of the First World War
Additional information kindly supplied by Derek Walker : http://www.southafricawargraves.org/search/details.php?id=1862
