10 November, let us pause to remember these young men from our Generation who answered the Sunset call.
10 Nov 1960: P/11281 Sergeant Stephanus Meyer Odendaal from the South African Corps of Military Police suffered a fatal heart attack and died in Potchefstroom. He was 37.
10 Nov 1965: 62187968E Air Mechanic Barend Jacobus Phillipus Schutte from Air Operations School Langebaanweg was critically wounded in the head with a .38 revolver by a comrade. They were part of the guard detail on 08 June 1965 and were in the off duty room where another member was playing with the firearm which accidentally discharged and injured Schutte. He Died of Wounds in hospital on 10 November 1965. He was 20.
10 Nov 1970: 66059825E Petty Officer Sidney Joseph Haupt from Naval Base Simonstown suffered critical head injuries in a fall at the Simonstown Docks. He was admitted to 2 Military Hospital in Wynberg where he succumbed to his injuries the same day. He was 45.
10 Nov 1972: Sapper Marthinus Casparus le Roux from the School of Engineers was critically injured in a military vehicle accident on 22 October 1972 while travelling between Potchefstroom and Pretoria. He sadly succumbed to his injuries in 1 Military Hospital on 10 November 1972. He was 18.
10 Nov 1975: Two members from 5 Squadron were accidentally killed when their Atlas MB326M Impala Mk I, Serial No. 563 struck trees on top of a hill near Nottingham Road and crashed approximately 1km north of the village on the farm "Breezie Brae" while carrying out an officially authorised low level training cross-country navigation exercise. The casualties were:
68436005PM 2/Lieutenant (Pilot) John Harold Cox. He was 23.
66507781PE Sergeant (Passenger) Cornelius Andries Petrus van Tonder. He was 27.
10 Nov 1976: 73372815BA Sapper Barend Kruger Engelbrecht from 2 Engineer Regiment was thought to have accidentally drowned at Bethlehem while carrying out a river crossing exercise when he disappeared under the water. His body was subsequently recovered and the subsequent post mortem confirmed that drowning was not the cause of death but that he had actually suffered a fatal heart attack during the exercise. He was 19.
10 Nov 1977: 01065317PE Colonel Hendrik Lodewyk Momberg from the Technical Service Corps died as a result of cardiac failure in the Tygerberg Hospital. He was 55.
10 Nov 1978: 73402190BG Signaler Jacobus Marthinus Esterhuizen from 2 Signal Regiment, was killed in a private motor vehicle accident at Vryburg while on a weekend Pass. He was 21.
10 Nov 1979: Signaler Maurice Shall from 1 Signal Regiment was killed in a private motor vehicle accident in Johannesburg while on a weekend pass. He was 19.
10 Nov 1980: 77399459BG Rifleman Deon Abraham Potgieter from 6 SAI was killed in a private motor vehicle accident near Sterkstroom while on a weekend pass. He was 19.
10 Nov 1982: 81358806BG Private Andre Ignatius Steffens from the Technical Service Corps died in the Universitas Hospital in Bloemfontein after being critically injured in a military vehicle accident on 04 November 1982 near Mangore on the Highway between Sishen and Postmasburg. He was 20.
10 Nov 1983: 78554656BT Rifleman George Murray Boshoff from the Witbank Commando was Killed in Action while doing his first three month camp after completing two years of National Service. He was part of an SADF / SAP pursuit group tracking four heavily armed MK operatives who had crossed the border from Zimbabwe into the Northern Transvaal. The insurgents had attacked a local farmer and his elderly grandmother in their vehicle the previous evening and both were lucky to survive. The SADF cornered the four MK operatives on a farm 20km outside Alldays and in the ensuing fire-fight, Rifleman Boshoff plus all four of the MK operatives were killed. He was 22.
10 Nov 1983: Rifleman Harold Hebblethwaite from the Jozini Military Base suffered critical head injuries in a private motor vehicle accident while he was travelling down to Durban on a weekend pass. He was admitted to hospital but unfortunately succumbed to his injuries shortly after admission. He was 23.
10 Nov 1984: 82352758BG Rifleman Anthony Joseph Brand from Infantry School was killed in a private motor vehicle accident while on weekend pass. He was 18.
10 Nov 1984: 77541977BT Rifleman Dawid Janse van Vuuren from Group 8 Headquarters died of disease in East London. He was 23.
10 Nov 1985: Two members from Air Force Headquarters were killed in a military vehicle accident at Kamieskroon. The casualties were:
73419202PE Sergeant William Stephan Butler. He was 37.
71407803PE Sergeant Leonardus Johannes Coetzee. He was 30.
10 Nov 1994: 1421980 Corporal Mziwonke Lennox Mdabula from the Ciskei Defence Force was attached to the Ciskei Defence Force Closure Unit when he suffered a heart attack and later died in the Bisho Hospital. He was 35.
Their names and sacrifices will not be forgotten.