08 August, let us pause to remember these young men from our Generation who answered the Final Roll Call.
08 Aug 1963: The tactical submarine phase of Operation CAPEX (Cape Exercise), a joint training exercise involving elements of Britain's Royal Navy and both the SA Navy and Air Force, commenced on August 7, 1963. During this phase, the Royal Navy submarine, HM Submarine Alliance (S67) would relocate from her existing position South of Port Elizabeth to a position further West, from where she would take part in further exercises with the SA Navy. During this transitional phase of the submarine, a 35 Squadron Avro MR. Mk 3 Shackleton Serial No.1718-K was tasked by Maritime Group to conduct a CAPEX A exercise with the submarine. In gusting winds and severe icing conditions down to 3,000ft (1 000m), the aircraft struck high ground before crashing into the Wemmershoek mountain range just outside the town of Worcester, some 96 km east of its destination. All thirteen crew members on board were killed. The casualties were:
P/22051 Captain Thomas Howard Sivertsen (Pilot in Command). He was 34.
P/21805 Captain Jaques Guillaume Labuschagne (3rd Pilot). He was 29.
P1/24862 2/Lieutenant George James Smith (2nd Navigator). He was 21.
P/20965 Lieutenant Abraham Gert Willem Coetzee (Navigator). He was 24.
P1/48842/1 2/Lieutenant Charles Alwyn du Plooy (Co-Pilot). He was 19.
P/50506 Candidate Officer Derrick Ian Strauss (3rd Navigator). He was 19.
P/4895 Warrant Officer Class II Sydney Shields Scully (Flight Engineer). He was 46.
P/17877 Flight Sergeant David Hope Sheasby (Signals Leader). He was 27.
P/20356 Lance Corporal Charl Paul Viljoen (Radio Operator). He was 28.
P2/20554 Lance Corporal Marthienus Christoffel Vorster (2nd Flight Engineer) He was 23.
P/23845 Lance Corporal Michel Adolf Brodreiss (3rd Radio Operator). He was 21.
P/17993 Lance Corporal Matthys Johannes Taljaard (2nd Radio Operator). He was 27.
P/50083 Air Mechanic Johannes Chamberlain (4th Radio Operator). He was 20.
08 Aug 1964: P2/53286 Air Mechanic Kevin Neil Cromhout from the Air Force Gymnasium was killed in a private motor vehicle accident. He was 16.
08 Aug 1981: Two members from 5 Reconnaissance Regiment were Killed in Action in an ambush near Ongiva while carrying out pseudo operations in Southern Angola during Ops Carnation. It appears that both men were killed when the enemy returned fire with a Soviet 14.5mm ZPU-1 Anti-Aircraft Gun that was deployed in the Ground Defence Role. The casualties were:
74435017PE Lance Corporal Ivan Maleta. He was 23.
78121985PB Rifleman Mahlomola Samuel Mokoena. He was 23
08 Aug 1983: Rifleman M. Frans from 5 Reconnaissance Regiment was Killed in Action while carrying out operations against enemy forces. He was 22.
08 Aug 1983: Two members from 40 Squadron were killed when their Atlas MB326M Impala Mk I, Serial No. 487 crashed near Irene. The casualties were:
77251106PR Lieutenant (Pilot) Leon Jacobs. He was 22.
78435450PE Lance Corporal (Passenger) Pieter Johannes Terburgh. He was 21.
08 Aug 1984: 80449242BG Rifleman Stephanus Badenhorst from 1 Parachute Battalion died from a gunshot wound accidentally sustained at the De Brug Training Area during COIN OPS Training. He was 19.
08 Aug 1985: 81021123BT Bombardier Hendrik Petrus Uys from the School of Artillery was killed when his military motor vehicle collided with a civilian vehicle near Potchefstroom. He was 20.
08 Aug 1985: 75808470BG Rifleman Edwin Williams from 8 SAI died from a gunshot wound sustained as a result of an accidental discharge of a fellow soldiers rifle while he was stationed at Ondangwa. He was 23.
08 Aug 1986: 76908888SP Rifleman M.C. Joao from 32 Battalion was accidentally killed at Buffalo Base when his house caught fire and burnt down during the night. He was 32.
08 Aug 1993: 86739588HJ Rifleman Madie Alpheus Maboya from 117 Battalion was found murdered at Ga Mathapo, located between Phomolong and Magaren. He was Absent Without Leave (AWOL) from his unit at the time of his death. He was 25.
08 Aug 1994: 94989514BU Rifleman John Mocobisi Mothibi from the South African Infantry Corps attached to the De Brug Assembly Point was killed after being struck by a civilian vehicle while waiting for a taxi. He was 37.
08 Aug 1998: 94663622 Lance Corporal A. V. Myeni from the Lentz Military Base was killed in a private motor vehicle accident in Johannesburg. He was 28.
08 Aug 1998: 95652434 Corporal Z. Nopudini from the South African Army died of disease at Gugulethu. He was 34.
08 Aug 1998: 96671631 Private P. Z. Zulu from the Natal Command Maintenance Unit was killed in a private motor vehicle accident in Durban. He was 26.
Their names and sacrifices will not be forgotten