In addition, my grandfather had to submit a Notice of Protest to solicitors. Again, a transcript of the photocopy I have is reproduced below.


COPY PROTEST noted by Captain David Boag Anderson, Master of s.s. “Benmohr” at Leith on 23rd March 1942.
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MESSRS WILLIAM THOMSON & COMPANY. COMPEARED CAPTAIN DAVID BOAG ANDERSON of the s.s. “Benmohr” of Leith of 3751 tons net register who represented that his said vessel with a crew of 56 hands all told (consisting of 27 British subjects and 29 Chinese) and being tight staunch and strong and in every way fitted for the voyage sailed from Bombay on 31st January 1942 bound for Liverpool and one other United Kingdom port via Durban and Freetown with a full general cargo of 7000 tons consisting of pig iron, silver, oilseeds etc.; that at the time of sailing from Bombay the draft of the deponent’s said vessel was about 25’ 6” mean; that the said vessel called at Durban and sailed from that port on 19th February 1942; that all went well until 5th March 1942 when deponent’s said vessel was in a position approximately 235 miles southeast of Freetown; that the said vessel was proceeding alone and was not in convoy; that at or about 7.58 p.m. on the 5th of March when the weather was fine with a light wind smooth sea and moderate swell it being dark, a loud explosion occurred on the starboard side under the bridge apparently cause by an enemy torpedo; that the said explosion caused serious damage to the deponent’s vessel; that at or about 8.06 p.m. on the 5th of March a second explosion apparently caused by another torpedo occurred just abaft the position of the first explosion causing further damage; that three lifeboats were launched and the crew took to the boats; that the starboard forward lifeboat was smashed by the explosion and was unfit to be used; that the deponent together with the ship’s carpenter and the bo’sun remained on board until the vessel sank by the bows at 8.18 p.m. on the 5th of March; that the deponent along with certain other members of the crew after being in the water for some time were picked up by the boats; that before the said vessel sank it was possible to send out a distress signal indicating the vessel’s approximate position; that the three lifeboats remained in the vicinity of the position in which the said vessel had been torpedoed until 11 a.m. on the following day the 6th of March when the deponent and the other members of the crew were picked up by a Sunderland Flying Boat who succeeded I rescuing the whole of the crew; that the said Flying Boat proceeded to Freetown where the deponent and the crew landed; that the deponent sailed from Freetown on the 10th March 1942 and arrived at Gourock on 22nd March; therefore the deponent protests against all loss, injury and damage cause by the attack on his said vessel.
Between 3 and 4 o’clock p.m.
(Sgd.) D. Anderson
Master