THE S.S. DUNAMA MEMORIAL OF SASSANDRA

: December 25, 1943 was a dark day for British troops off the coast of Sassandra. The S.S. Dunama, under the command of Captain Archibald Richard George Drummond, was making a voyage from Port Etienne to Takoradi via Freetown. The vessel was carrying 300 tonnes of supplies for the Royal Air Force, based in Takoradi. Off the shores of Sassandra, it was attacked during the night by a German torpedo boat commanded by Werner Henke. The survivors were taken to Takoradi. In addition to the 22 identified bodies, six unidentified bodies washed ashore on the beach at Sassandra and were buried on the grounds of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) in Sassandra's municipal cemetery. A commemorative stone was erected by French nationals living in Côte d'Ivoire and residing in Sassandra, one year after the shipwreck, on December 25, 1944.