Name: |
GILDENHUYS |
Given Name: |
WILLIAM HENRY BERNARD |
Initials: |
W H B |
Service No: |
65778532BV |
Rank: |
SergeantOther Casualties of this Rank |
Regiment: |
South African Infantry Corps |
Unit: |
Cape Town Highlanders RegimentOther Casualties from this Unit |
Date of Death: |
1977-05-25Other Casualties on this
Date |
Date of Birth: |
1949-03-19 |
Age: |
28 |
Cause of Death: |
Died of wounds, after suffering multiple shrapnel wounds while detached to Alpha Company, 1 Parachute Battalion for special duties. During an anti-insurgent patrol with 1 Parachute Battalion to the rear of the Cape Town Highlander's position and north-east of Ondangwa where mining of vehicle tracks had become a common feature, he was killed during an extremely gallant attempt to save others when saw the safety pin being accidentally extracted from a soldiers rifle-grenade by a thorn bush. He rushed forward, grabbed the rifle and tried to fire off the grenade to prevent injuries to the other soldiers in the patrol but the rifle grenade exploded before he could do this. Rifleman F.E. Eksteen, W.R. Hamber, R.J. Schonken and A.J. Rohlandt were all injured in the explosion. Sergeant Gildenhuys was posthumously awarded the Honoris Crux for his gallant action that ultimately cost him his life |
Decorations: |
Honoris Crux (Posthumous) |
Additional
Information: |
No additional information known at this time |
This information was last verified for accuracy: 2020-11-01
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