08 January, let us pause to remember the following young men from our Generation who answered the Sunset call.
08 Jan 1960: Commandant Lawrence William Marshall from the Army Corps Signal Regiment suffered a fatal heart attack. He was 39.
08 Jan 1966: Two members from 17 Squadron and three members of the Portuguese Army were killed when their Alouette III, Serial No.56 crashed 2 miles east of Boane, near Lourenço Marques (Maputo) in Moçambique while carrying out rescue operations at the Umbeluzi Pumping Station. They were lifting inflatable rubber boats used in rescue work when one of the loads began swinging wildly and struck the tail rotor causing the Pilot to lose control and the helicopter crashed. (Note: Captain Shawe was a SAAF Veteran from World War Two). The casualties were:
1220466 Captain Guillame Nel Shawe (Pilot). He was 43.
5246103 Air Corporal Frederick Hermanus Moolman (Flight Engineer). He was 23.
Sergeant Joao Fernandez, Portuguese Army attached to SAAF. He was 26.
Corporal Alfredo Acacio, Portuguese Army attached to SAAF. He was 22.
Corporal Georgio Manuel, Portuguese Army attached to SAAF. He was 21.
08 Jan 1973: Two members of the South African Police who were serving in Rhodesia, were Killed in Action when their vehicle detonated a landmine while on patrol in the Victoria Falls National Park. The casualties were:
W54350W Constable Siegfried Marx. He was 22.
W55704P Constable Owen Winston Durheim. He was 20.
08 Jan 1975: 72469885N Rifleman Adriaan Albertus Le Grange from 5 SAI was Reported Missing at Bagani while travelling as a passenger in a military vehicle that accidentally drove off the edge of the pont ferry and overturned into the river. Despite an intensive search, his body was never recovered. He has no known grave and remains unaccounted for. He was 18.
08 Jan 1977: 24795A Field Reservist Raymond Frederick Gough, a South African National serving in the British South Africa Police, was Killed in Action in a landmine explosion near Rutenga. He was on duty protecting a local farm when his vehicle detonated the mine. He was 49.
08 Jan 1981: 05085295PE Flight Sergeant George Alexander Rennie from 1 Air Depot died of lung cancer in 1 Military Hospital. He was 55.
08 Jan 1983: 71431829BT Private Gerald Jeffrey Pieters from Air Force Base Swartkop suffered severe head injuries in a private motor vehicle accident near Estcourt on 07 January 1983. He was admitted to the Wentworth Hospital in Durban where he sadly succumbed to his injuries on 08 January 1983. He was 27.
08 Jan 1983: 72241417KT Rifleman Peter Uzzel from the Goudveld Commando attached to Group 34, Died of Wounds in 1 Military Hospital after being critically wounded in a landmine explosion near the Okangwati Military Base on 06 Jan 1983. He was 26.
08 Jan 1985: Rifleman S Jakob from 101 Battalion SWATF died from unknown causes. He was 32.
08 Jan 1987: Nine members from 101 Battalion Romeo Mike Team SWATF together with two attached personnel, were Killed in Action and 65 wounded during a contact with a numerically superior enemy force near Vinticet in Southern Angola. During the contact, some of the Romeo Mike Casspir vehicles burnt out after being knocked out by concentrated fire from Soviet RPG-7 Anti-Tank Rockets and Yugoslavian M60 HEAT STRIM and M60P Pencil STRIM rifle grenades. The eleven members Killed in Action were:
79337176PE Lieutenant Michael Cornelius Machiel Dreyer from 904SCC-RM12 was killed instantly after being hit in the neck by a single enemy bullet. He was 24.
85633386BG Lance Corporal Emil Tamsen from the South African Medical Corps HQ was assigned to 101 Battalion Romeo Mike Team 904SCC-RM12 as the Ops Medic but was actually sitting in the second seat on the right rear of Casspir RM7. He was killed instantly when Romeo Mike 7 was hit by a Soviet RPG-7 Anti-Tank Rocket and he took the full force of the blast in his chest. He was 18.
83446344BG Sapper Eugen Albert Meyer South African Engineer Corps assigned to 101
Battalion Romeo Mike Team 904SCC-RM7. He was 19.
Lance Corporal M. Fernando from 904SCC-RM7. He was 24.
Rifleman L. Alweendo from 904SCC-RM7. He was 27.
Rifleman P. Cerement from 904SCC-RM7. He was 26.
Rifleman E. Leonard from 101 Bn from 904SCC-RM7. He was 24.
Rifleman M. Ndjolonimu from 101 Bn from 904SCC-RM7. He was 23.
Rifleman E. Nyawala from 101 Bn from 904SCC-RM7. He was 26.
Rifleman S. Jacob from 101 Bn from 904SCC-RM7. He was 25.
81952285HV Rifleman J. Nangolo from 101 Bn from 904SCC-RM7. He was 23.
08 Jan 1998: 94851573 Sapper I.T. Mokuchwane from the South African Engineer Corps was found dead in Kimberley with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was 26.
Their names and sacrifices will not be forgotten.