Today, 22 July, we salute and honor the following men who sacrificed their lives whilst standing in the defence of what they held dear at the time and against evil and tyranny.
SOUTH AFRICAN BORDER WAR
22 Jul 1983: 75011296PE Sergeant Walter Alexander Robinson from 61 Base Workshop, Technical Service Corps died in his sleep in the Single Quarters at TEK Base after apparently suffering a fatal heart attack. He was 42.
22 Jul 1984: 79331542BG Rifleman Gerhard Ernst De Lange from 1 Parachute Battalion was Killed in Action during a contact with SWAPO/PLAN insurgents while on patrol north of Ondangwa. The patrol had set up a Temporary Base that was attacked in the early hours of the morning. In the ensuing fire-fight, he was killed after suffering multiple shrapnel wounds from an enemy hand grenade that exploded virtually next to him. He was 20.
22 Jul 1987: 84536903BT Corporal Adriaan Jonker from 2 SWA SPES (SWATF) was accidentally killed in Windhoek when his parachute failed during a practice jump at the J. G. Strydom Airport. He was 20.
22 Jul 1987: 82321886BG Rifleman Lyall Gregory Sole from 2 SAI died of injuries sustained during a training exercise when he was accidentally run over by an armoured vehicle in conditions of poor visibility. He was 20.
RHODESIAN BUSH WAR
22-Jul-77 Cpl David "Dave" Kruger 1(Indp) Coy RR
22-Jul-77 Cpl Royden "Roy" Orchard 1(Indp) Coy RR KIA
22-Jul-77 Rfn Thomas "Tom" Shipley 1(Indp) Coy RR KIA
KIA when the police Land Rover they were travelling in detonated a landmine, Binga, Op Splinter. The previous day, their call-sign 14A, under the leadership of Dave Kruger, had been deployed in the Karungwizi area of Siabuwa TTL, about 26 km from the BSAP base at Siabuwa. They received a message at 11:00 hours on the 22nd, from their officer commanding, to make their way back to Siabuwa in preparation for an ambush on a store where intelligence had indicated the store was to be robbed by 15 CTs. A BSAP Land Rover was sent from the base to assist with transporting them back in the heat of the Valley. At 12:15 hours, the returning vehicle, carrying the stick in the back, detonated a landmine. Dave Kruger, Roy Orchard and Tom Shipley all died and five from the same unit were injured.