Today, 19 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
All appears to be quiet on both the Northern and Home Fronts today with no casualties being reported.
RHODESIAN BUSH WAR
19-Jul-69 Prov Insp Terence "Terry" Shaw PR BSAP KOAS Killed in an air accident at the age of 36 Insp Terry Shaw and FR Bill Springer were on a training flight near Umtali when their plane crashed on Las Anod Farm in the Vumba - they were both killed.
19-Jul-69 FR Plt William Jacob "Bill" Springer MBE - 12.06.1965 PRAW BSAP KOAS Killed in an air accident at the age of 55. Insp Terry Shaw and FR Bill Springer were on a training flight near Umtali when their plane crashed on Las Anod Farm in the Vumba - they were both killed.
19-Jul-75 Temp WO2 Tazewil "Taz" Bain 2nd Bn RR KIA Died from gunshot wounds, Masoso TTL, near Rushinga, Mt Darwin, Op Hurricane. CTs concealed in a riverbed, opened fire, killing Bain and Eben Potgieter instantly. Died aged 26.
19-Jul-75 Cpl John Alan Coey 2 Cdo, 1st Bn RLI KIA Killed by a gunshot wound, Masoso TTL, near Rushinga, Op Hurricane. After elements of the RR had initiated a contact, RLI Fire Force from Mt Darwin was flown to the scene. RR soldier WO2 Taz Bain and RLI Rfn Hennie Potgieter had been wounded in the initial contact, but it was not known if they were still alive. As a medic (attached to 2 Cdo from the RhAMC), John was sent into the riverbed to attend to the soldiers when he was also shot and killed. Sadly, the two soldiers he went to assist had already succumbed to their wounds. Ex SAS which he joined in 1972.He came from Colombus, Ohio. Died aged 24. John, as a qualified combat medic, participated in over 60 Fire Force missions. He was buried in the Fourie family plot in Que Que, having been engaged to Louis' eldest sister, France. At the request of John's parents, Phyllis and George, Louis' family arranged for John's body to be exhumed for burial in the Lutheran Church Cemetery, Hide Away Hills, West Liberty, Ohio, USA, where a small American flag marks his grave. He had always maintained that his destiny was in Rhodesia. John was the first US national to be KIA in the Rhodesian Bush War.
19-Jul-75 Rfn Eben "Hennie" Potgieter 2 Cdo, 1st Bn RLI KIA Killed by a gunshot wound, Masoso TTL, near Rushinga, Op Hurricane, aged 18 years.
19-Jul-76 Rfn Allan Reay 9th Bn RR KIA Died from gunshot wounds in a contact, at Mushoko Mission, Chiredzi, Op Repulse, at the age of 24.