02 September, let us pause for a minute to remember the following young men from our Generation who answered the Sunset call.
02 Sep 1977: 4329 Air Lieutenant Andre Dennis Leon Du Plessis from 4 Squadron, Rhodesian Air Force was Killed in Action during Ops Thrasher when his Cessna Reims FTB337G (Lynx) Super Skymaster, Serial No R3042 flew into the ground 20 miles South of Umtali while attacking a group of insurgents during a Rhodesian Forces cross-border raid. It appeared that he had suffered “target fixation” and failed to timeously pull out of the dive after firing his weapons. He was 23. (His father, South African Captain Jan du Plessis was the pilot of the ill-fated Air Rhodesia Viscount “Umniati” that was shot down by ZIPRA insurgents using a Soviet SA-7 shoulder-launched Surface-to-Air Missile on 12 February 1979).
02 Sep 1977: 75281998BA Rifleman Matthys Christiaan Henn from 4 SAI was critically injured in a military vehicle accident between Middelburg and Greefswald on 31 August 1977 and succumbed to his injuries in 1 Military Hospital on 02 September 1977. He was 18.
02 Sep 1978: 77121838 Rifleman Arau Chilemba from 5 Reconnaissance Regiment attached to D Squadron Rhodesian Special Air Service, was killed instantly in Mocambique when he accidentally walked into the helicopter tail rotor after being inserted into the designated drop zone inside enemy territory. He was 24.
02 Sep 1982: Two members from 5 Maintenance Unit were grievously burned in an accidental petrol explosion at Ondangwa on 30 August 1982. Both members were evacuated to the 1 Military Hospital Burn Unit where they succumbed to their injuries on 02 September 1982. The casualties were:
80536584BG Private Gordon Gray Crossland. He was 18.
78464716BG Private Hendrik Lambertus Groenewald. He was 20.
02 Sep 1984: 76586106BT Able Seaman Crispin John Canner from SAS Unity died from a gunshot wound after being accidentally shot by a fellow sailor while carrying out guard duty at the Slangkop Radio Station. He was 24.
02 Sep 1989: 87440152BG Lance Corporal Hendrik Jacobus Bekker from the Eastern Transvaal Command Provost Unit, South African Corps of Military Police, was accidentally killed after being struck by a moving train while on leave in Nelspruit. He was 18.
02 Sep 1999: 81539538PE Major Kenneth Arthur Newman from 22 Squadron was killed when his Alouette III Helicopter, Serial No. 616 suffered engine failure and crashed in dense bush at Sea View, Port Elizabeth. The Flight Engineer, Flight Sergeant Mike Bottom (37), and student Flight Engineer Sergeant Gert Etsebeth (22) were both seriously injured but survived the crash. He was 50.
Their names and sacrifice have not been forgotten.