21 April, let us pause to remember these young men from our Generation who answered the Sunset call.
21 April 1954: Pupil Pilot Johannes Hendrik Steyl from No.4 Auxiliary Air Training Wing at Air Force Station Bloemspruit, was killed when his Harvard 7063 flew into rising ground 13km from Bethulie while he was carrying out unauthorised low level flying during a routine cross-country sortie. He was 22.
21 April 1966: Two members from 17 Squadron, a member of the South African Police and two civilian passengers were Reported Missing when their Alouette III, Serial No. 65 suffered engine failure and crashed into the sea at night off Terrace Bay, South West Africa while monitoring Fishing Trawlers and boats close to the coast for any possible illegal fishing activities. They have no known grave and remain unaccounted for. The casualties were:
01505001R Lieutenant (Pilot) Tobias Johannes Winterbach. He was 22
24031 Air Corporal (Flight Engineer) Henry George Morton. He was 21
33107 Constable Dirk Johannes Albertus Brand of the South African Police (Passenger)
Mr Petrus Jacobus Holmes (Passenger)
Mr Dawid. Bernhardt (Passenger)
21 April 1977: 73493439BC Corporal Heinrich Rudolph Bigalke from 3 SAI was killed when his military vehicle overturned 20 km from Rundu. He was 19.
21 April 1978: 74496175BG Private Barry Craig Rieder from the SADF Equestrian Centre, attached to 1 SWA SPES SWATF, was accidentally killed at Oshivello during a night practice ambush. It appears that he was shot during the period when the patrol was firing into the "killing zone” or “doodsakker" after the simulated ambush was “triggered”. After about a minute of firing, a soldier reported that Barry had been wounded and the exercise was stopped immediately. Barry was found with a severe head wound and after receiving emergency treatment, he was immediately evacuated but unfortunately succumbed to his wounds approximately an hour later. He was 20. His Grave headstone incorrectly indicates his date of death as 22 April 1978.
21 April 1983: 80316250BG Rifleman Glenn Joseph Fleischer from 3 SAI was found dead at Potchefstroom with an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. No foul play was suspected as everybody on the Unit was accounted for at the time the incident occurred. He was 18.
21 April 1987: Two members of the SADF were killed when their military vehicle was involved in a head-on collision with a civilian vehicle at Rundu. The casualties were:
81175259BG Lance Corporal Clifton David Kilroe from 8 SAI. He was 21.
82070079BW Rifleman Hans Harold Scheepers from 55 Battalion. He was 25.
21 April 1992: Three members of the South African Medical Corps Training Centre were killed in a Military Vehicle Accident on the Potchefstroom to Westonaria Road. They were:
89274815BG Lance Corporal Efstratios Kladis. He was 18.
89227185BG Private Bradley John Gordon. He was 19.
89559793BG Private Roelof Frederick Malan. He was 19.
Their names and sacrifices will not be forgotten.