22 April, let us pause to remember these young men from our Generation who answered the Sunset call.
22 Apr 1954: 2/Lieutenant Paul Anthony Meager from 1 Squadron was killed when his Harvard 7701 crashed near Pretoria. Harvard 7701 was flying as part of a 1 Squadron aircraft formation that was “attacked” by enemy” fighters” in a simulated exercise. As the Harvard formation took evasive action and broke, Harvard 7701 flown by 2/Lieutenant Meager pulled up into a barrel roll but promptly entered a flat spin from which the Pilot was unable to recover. He failed to bale out before the aircraft hit the ground near Garsfontein where it exploded on impact and burnt out. He was 21.
22 Apr 1963: Warrant Officer Class 1 Barend Bartholumeus van Wyk from the South African Army Headquarters died in 1 Military Hospital after suffering renal failure. He was 50.
22 April 1976: Four members from Regiment Christiaan Beyers were Killed in Action when their patrol was ambushed by a numerically superior force of SWAPO/PLAN insurgents while they were escorting a work team who were busy with maintenance on the pipeline from Ruacana to Etale Base. The casualties were:
71235162BT Lieutenant Douglas Gerard Hinds. He was 20.
65527640BT Rifleman Johannes Reinier Fouche. He was 26.
70525464BT Rifleman Jozua Francois Naude. He was 21.
68219245BT Rifleman Joahim Willem Korb. He was 23.
22 April 1983: 78378791BG Corporal Jan de Klerk Botha from 5 SAI attached to 102 Battalion SWATF, died while on Patrol in Northern Kaokoland. He had arrived at 102 Battalion as a replacement for a Lance Corporal who had broken his arm and had been evacuated. While on Patrol in extremely hot weather, the Patrol took a break and Corporal Botha went to rest in the shade of a tree. When the time came for the Patrol to move on, Corporal Botha was found dead after apparently suffering heart failure. He was 20.
22 April 1988: 77535581BT Lance Corporal Steven Charles Trollip from the 2nd Battalion Regiment De La Rey accidentally drowned after falling into a crocodile infested river near Skukuza while on foot patrol in the Kruger National Park. He was 26.
22 Apr 1995: Two members from Natal Command were killed in a military motor vehicle accident at Umhlanga Rocks. The casualties were:
87032884PY Lance Corporal Naresh Thiluck. He was 18.
90030073PY Private Anandran Coopsamy. He was 27.
22 Apr 1998: 87768479 Corporal I P Mngomezulu from the South African Infantry Corps died of disease in the Kopanong Hospital. He was 34.
Their names and sacrifices will not be forgotten.