14 March, let us pause to remember these young men from our Generation who answered the Sunset call.
14 Mar 1951: P1/40163/6 Second Lieutenant Francois Bosman Coertze from Air Operations School Langebaanweg was killed when his Supermarine Spitfire Mk IXE 5673 crashed into Bobbejaanberg Mountain on the farm "Klaver Vlei" near Darling during a routine training flight. He was 24.
14 Mar 1952: Lieutenant James Boles DFM from 1 Squadron was killed when his AT-6 Harvard 7023 crashed and burnt out at Rivonia when he tried to execute an unauthorised barrel roll at low altitude. He was 29.
14 Mar 1958: Private Jan Hendrik Hofmeyr from the Army Service Corps died from multiple injuries sustained in a private motorcycle accident. He was 25.
14 Mar 1961: Two members from Air Force Base Swartkop were killed when their Ferret Scout Car overturned while on a night Base Perimeter Patrol. The casualties were:
P/18700 Air Sergeant James George McKelvey. He was 30.
Air Sergeant Nicolaas Jacobus Neveling. He was 23.
14 Mar 1974: 66297540 Rifleman Grenville Trevor Tilley from the Peninsular Commando died after suffering accidental head injuries while attending a three-week training camp at Swartklip. He was 23.
14 Mar 1978: 75004613PE Corporal Brian Simpson from Infantry School died from a cancer related stroke in the Oudtshoorn Hospital. He was 41.
14 March 1979: 12 Squadron deployed to Grootfontein for Operation Rekstok and Safraan to launch pre-emptive strikes into Southern Angola and South Western Zambia. Operations began on 06 March with 10 sorties being flown against enemy targets. Another 10 sorties were flown on 07 March, 4 sorties on 08 March and 2 sorties on 09 March. 12 Squadron Operations commenced again on 13 March with strikes against enemy targets near Nova Catengue and Ongiva in Southern Angola as part of Ops Rekstok. On 14 March, a strike by 4 Buccaneers armed with 6 x 450 kg bombs each and 3 Canberra's armed with Alpha Bombs took off from Grootfontein to attack an enemy camp West of Humbe, located about 12 km North West of Xangongo. Immediately after bomb release, the formation descended to 500 ft and Canberra 452, flying as No.2 in the formation, was struck in the cockpit area by hostile small-arms fire. The No 3 heard the Pilot scream and noticed that Canberra 452 started behaving erratically and the aircraft continued flying for about 12 minutes with bomb bay doors still remaining open. No 3, flown by Captain Roly Jones, moved alongside 452 and saw the Pilot slumped over the controls. It appeared that the Navigator was attempting to fly the aircraft from the Navigators position as the aircraft climbed slowly to 2 000 ft while decreasing speed to approximately 200 knots. The aircraft then banked gently to port and started to head West before adopting a 10 degree nose-down attitude. The aircraft descended to extremely low level before it suddenly entered a very steep climb into an almost vertical attitude. The aircraft stalled, rolled over into a steep dive that terminated when the aircraft hit the ground in an almost vertical position approximately 42 km South West of Humbe, exploding on impact. Both crew members have no known grave and remain unaccounted for. They were:
70237326PM Lieutenant (Pilot) Dewald Wally Marais. He was 24.
73455123PE 2/Lieutenant (Navigator) Owen John Doyle. He was 21.
14 Mar 1980: 75383281BG 2/Lieutenant Phillipus Jacob Rudolph Oosthuizen from 5 SAI was Killed in Action after suffering multiple shrapnel wounds during an ambush on the Chandelier Road about 10 km from Nkongo Base when a Soviet 82mm High Explosive mortar bomb exploded next to him. He was 20.
14 Mar 1981: 72479470KT Rifleman Jacobus Frederick de Beer from the Pietermaritzburg Commando was critically injured in a private motor vehicle accident near Escourt on 20 February 1981. He was admitted to Grey’s Hospital in Pietermaritzburg where he sadly succumbed to his injuries on 14 March 1981. He was 24.
14 Mar 1981: 78355997BG Rifleman John Mervin Houndsome from 1 SAI was killed in a private motor vehicle accident at Bothasig in Cape Town. He was 19.
14 Mar 1983: 77525335BG Rifleman Petrus Carel Johannes Griessel from Infantry School died from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound administered with his R4 Assault Rifle while in the barracks. No foul play was suspected as the whereabouts of everybody on the Unit was accounted for at the time of the incident. He was 21.
14 Mar 1984: 74768656BG Lieutenant Stanley Saillard Ponder, a Dental Practitioner from the South African Medical Corps attached to 2 Field Engineer Regiment, was killed at Grootfontein when his vehicle was involved in a head-on collision with a police vehicle while he was traveling to a nearby clinic. He was 25.
14 Mar 1985: 81218067BG 2/Lieutenant Guy Claude Udo Winsto Mogens De Beurges from 121 Battalion was shot dead by one of his own troops after reprimanding him for being drunk. He was 20.
14 Mar 1985: 82399106BG Lance Corporal Bernardus Charles Stander from the Technical Service Corps attached to Natal Command Workshops died in the Addington Hospital from severe head injuries received when his private motor vehicle overturned in Durban. He was 19.
14 Mar 1985: Special Constable Joans Andungi from the South West Africa Police Counter-Insurgency Wing: Ops-K Division (Koevoet) was Killed in Action during a contact with SWAPO/PLAN insurgents in Northern Owamboland. He was 23.
14 Mar 1987: Special Constable Ndjendjela Vilho from the South West Africa Police Counter-Insurgency Wing: Ops-K Division (Koevoet) was Killed in Action during a contact with SWAPO/PLAN insurgents in Northern Owamboland. He was 26.
14 Mar 1988: Lance Corporal Rudolf Marais Coetzee from 3 SAI was killed in a private motor vehicle accident. He was 22.
14 Mar 1988: 82712217HG Rifleman Zwelithini Andrias Lukhelo from 121 Battalion was accidentally killed when he was trampled to death by an enraged elephant while on foot patrol in the Tembe Elephant Park. He was 32.
14 Mar 1992: Rifleman Marius Gottfreidt Uitenweerde from 1 Parachute Battalion was killed in a private motor vehicle accident near Benoni. He was 25.
14 Mar 1998: 95714960 Corporal I D Jansen from Air Force Headquarters was killed in shooting incident, at Salvokop. He was 20.
14 Mar 1998: 94671328 Private N L Mdleleni from the Lentz Military Base was found dead in Vosloorus as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was 22.
14 Mar 1998: 94856215 Private Michael Taylor from Group 8 was shot dead in Stutterheim by an unknown civilian while off duty. He was 23.
14 Mar 1998: 86285970 Lieutenant J R van Zyl from Army Headquarters was accidentally killed when he slipped and struck his head while he was on his way to the OS School at Youngsfield. He was 27.
14 Mar 1999: 87765137PE Corporal Diketso Koos Loape from 151 Battalion died from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head using his R4 Assault Rifle. He had earlier been involved in a military vehicle accident at Qwa-Qwa. He was 30.
14 Mar 2000: Two members from Northern Cape Command were killed in a private motor vehicle accident at Boshof. The casualties were:
90274077PF Corporal Christo Wendell Lotter. He was 25.
97726319PF Corporal Dorrington Malebo Selaletse. He was 28.
Their names and sacrifices will not be forgotten.