16 October, let us pause to remember these young men from our Generation who answered the Sunset call.
16 Oct 1969: Two members from 24 Squadron were Reported Missing when their Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer S.Mk50, Serial No. 415, disappeared over the sea 30 km east of the Tugela River Mouth while carrying out night exercises. Both crew members have no known grave and remain unaccounted for. During 1977, a section of a Buccaneer engine panel and some other wreckage was found in the nets of a fishing trawler when it returned from the area. In 2014, one complete main undercarriage leg together with wheel rim and tyre was found in the nets of a fishing trawler returning from the same area. The serial number on the wheel rim positively identified the wreckage as belonging to this aircraft. The Buccaneer crew were:
01219401E Major Stephanus Sebastiaan Odendaal (Pilot). He was 31.
01238658E Major Peter Webb (Navigator). He was 28.
16 Oct 1973: 70379177N Rifleman Raymond Fourie from 4 SAI was killed in a military vehicle accident on the Ventersdorp to Randfontein Road. He was 19.
16 Oct 1976: 70386255E Sergeant Roy Martin Childs from Air Force Base Swartkop was killed in a private motorcycle accident near Brits. He was 22.
16 Oct 1977: 74466806BC Rifleman Ernest Alec Lloyd from 6 SAI died from meningitis in the Port Elizabeth Provincial Hospital. He was 21.
16 Oct 1981: 81512121SP Rifleman Alfredo Samba from 32 Battalion was Killed in Action during a contact with enemy forces in Southern Angola. He was 32.
16 Oct 1981: 79892790HB Rifleman Masenya Phineas Manganyi from 113 Battalion died of disease in the Letaba Hospital. He was 24.
16 Oct 1982: 79301586BG Rifleman Barend Jacobus Christoffel Strydom from 7 SAI accidentally drowned at Phalaborwa. He was 19.
16 Oct 1985: 82401720BG Seaman Marine Victor Ernest Bastion de Klerk from 123 Harbour Protection Unit was accidentally killed during the Cape Riots when his Buffel Troop Carrier overturned while on patrol in Mitchell's Plain. He was 18.
16 Oct 1987: Three members from 4 Artillery Regiment were killed when their Buffel Troop Carrier overturned at Mariental while trying to avoid a head-on collision with a civilian delivery vehicle. All three members were thrown out and crushed underneath the vehicle. The casualties were:
83429985BG 2/Lieutenant George Michael Howard. He was 20.
84350818BG Lance Bombardier Peter Mansfield. He was 19.
82410597BG Gunner Sean Rene Biet. He was 20.
16 Oct 1988: 73542145KH Rifleman Nicolaas Johannes Wolmarans from the Bethal Commando was killed when he was knocked down by a civilian vehicle while carrying out road block duty on the Delmas to Kriel Road. He was 32.
16 Oct 1988: 84221159BG 2/Lieutenant Riaan Frans Janse van Vuuren from Sector 20 Headquarters Unit SWATF was killed in a Private Motor Vehicle Accident while on a 7-day leave pass. He was 19.
16 Oct 1993: 89406482BG Private Johannes Blignaut from the Technical Services Corps attached to the Eastern Transvaal Command Workshops was killed in a private motor vehicle accident while travelling home on a weekend pass when he lost control of his vehicle and collided with a tree 16 km from Nelspruit. He was 20.
16 Oct 1993: 85323301BT Lance Corporal Rudi Swanepoel from Regiment Piet Retief was found in the toilet at the Regiment with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was on guard duty at the time of the incident. He was 24.
16 Oct 1994: 91065110PY Rifleman Deon Johannes from 9 SAI was assaulted and stabbed to death at Koelenhof by another Unit member during an argument. He was 19.
16 Oct 1998: 94997400 Private Victor Maphumulo from the Lentz Military Base died of disease in Johannesburg. He was 28.
Their names and sacrifices have not been forgotten.