03 September, let us pause for a minute to remember the following young men from our Generation who answered the Sunset call.
03 Sep 1978: Four Crew Members and 44 Passengers from Air Rhodesia Viscount "Hunyani", Registration YP-WAS, Flight RH825 were killed when the aircraft was shot down by ZIPRA insurgents using a Soviet SAM-7 Grail shoulder-launched Surface-to-Air Missile approximately five minutes after take-off from Kariba Airport. Almost immediately a distress signal was received to the effect that the aircraft engines had failed. The aircraft crashed near the northern border with Zambia in the Hurungwe Tribal Trust Land, 40 km South-East of Kariba Dam. Eighteen people survived the initial crash but 10 survivors were executed by the ZIPRA Terrorists who returned to the accident scene to loot the aircraft contents. The remaining eight passengers managed to escape. The four crew members were posthumously awarded the Rhodesian Meritorious Conduct Medal (MCM) for brave and gallant conduct.
CREW:
Captain & Aircraft Commander John Eric Courtenay Hood MCM (P) (36)
First Officer Garth George Beaumont MCM (P) (31) (South Africa)
Air Hostess Miss Dulcie Esterhuizen MCM (P) (21)
Air Hostess Miss Brenda-Ann Louise Pearson MCM (P) (23)
PASSENGERS:
Mr Fred Barkhuizen (47) (South Africa)
Mrs Anne Barkhuizen (48) (South Africa)
Mr Walter Brown (50) (Fife, Scotland)
Mrs Elizabeth Brown (45) (Fife, Scotland)
Mr Jeremy Bull (22) (Gwelo)
Mrs Karen Bull (23) (Nurse, Bulawayo)
Master Gary Callow (12) (Salisbury)
Mr Walter ferrier (57) (Salisbury)
Mrs Margaret Ferrier (54) (Salisbury)
Constable Malcolm Gillespie (22) (BSAP, Salisbury)
Mr Ramesh Gulabh (34) (Centrust Travel Bureau)
Mrs Shakuntala Gulabh (28)
Miss Veena Gulabh
Miss Leena Gulabh) (4)
Mrs Dahiben Gulabh) (58)
Mr Aubrey Hewitt (64) (Attorney, Bulawayo)
Mrs Jeanette Hewitt (53) (Teacher, Bulawayo)
Miss Audrey Hewitt (23)
Mrs Prabhaben Lalloo (38) (Milton Park, Salisbury)
Miss Meela Lalloo (20)
Miss Romsla Lalloo (11)
Mr Douglas Loder (58) (Builder, Bulawayo)
Mrs Margaret Loder (51) (Headmistress, Carmel school, Bulawayo)
Master Keith Loder (11)
Mr Paul Nicholls (30) (Good Year Tyres, Bulawayo)
Mrs Francis Nicholls (26)
Mrs Joan Nicholls (55)
Master Mark Nicholls (9)
Miss Michelle Nicholls (7)
Mrs Ruth Rainey (33) (Salisbury)
Mr Roger Seaton (42) (Salisbury)
Miss Cheryl Tilley(20) (Rhobank, Salisbury)
Mrs Vina Ellizabeth Trinder (63) (TTC, Bulawayo)
Miss Lida van Beuningen (24) (Marandellas)
Mr Peter Vermeulen (51)
Mrs Mary Vermeulen (49)
Mr Ronald Vermeulen (26) (Aircraft Engineer, Salisbury)
Mrs Alison Vermeulen (27) (Barclays Bank, Salisbury)
Master Matthew Wilger (Bulawayo)
Miss Leanne Wilger (4) (Bulawayo)
Mrs Margaret Wray (55) (Bindura)
Miss Marianne Wray (7) (Bindura)
MasterJohn Wray (9) (Bindura)
Miss Dawn Young (19) (BSAP, Salisbury)
PASSENGER SURVIVORS
Mr Robert Hargreaves (28)
Mrs Shannon Hargreaves (18)
Mr. Anthony Hill (39)
Mr. Hans Hansen (35)
Mrs Diana Hanson (31)
Dr. Cecil MacLaren
Mrs Sharon Cole
Miss Tracey Cole (4)
03 Sep 1981: 78434719PE Rifleman Cornelius Jacobus Vermaak from Special Forces Headquarters died in the Edenvale Hospital from injuries sustained in a Military Vehicle Accident in Edenvale. He was 19.
03 Sep 1985: Two members from 6 SAI were killed when their Buffel Troop Carrier overturned in Grahamstown. The casualties were:
82532581BG Rifleman Orlando De Portugal Goncalves. He was 19.
79350401BGRifleman Shaun Patrick Atkins. He was 21.
03 Sep 1987: One member from 42 Squadron and one member from 4 Field Regiment were Killed in Action when a 42 Squadron Atlas AM3-C Bosbok, Serial No 934 was shot down by a Soviet SA-8 Gecko Surface-to-Air Missile South of Lomba river in Southern Angola during Ops Modular. The Artillery Observation Officer was giving battery targeting information on the enemy positions when the Angolan brigades started launching SAM’s at the aircraft. A total of 17 missiles were launched against the aircraft and the Pilot, Lieutenant Richard Glynn successfully avoided three of the missiles before the aircraft was hit by a fourth missile. Both the Pilot and Artillery Observation Officer were killed instantly in the explosion. SADF Ground Forces in the area successfully recovered the bodies from the wreckage. The casualties were:
82430414PS Lieutenant (Pilot) Richard William Glynn from 42 Squadron. He was 21.
70517313PE Commandant Johann Christiaan Du Randt from 4 Artillery Regiment (Artillery Observation Officer). He was 32.
Their names and sacrifice have not been forgotten.