Cause of Death: |
Died of wounds, during Ops Savannah while leading a patrol in a contact against a numerically superior enemy force in Central Angola approximately 30km North of Cela. On 2 January 1976 during the SADF's mop up and withdrawal from Angola, he was in command of a 5 SAI platoon approaching Cela from the north. He was advised that Cuban troops occupied the hillocks ahead of them so he led his patrol on foot in the direction of these hillocks, camping overnight in rainy weather. Early the following morning on 3 January 1976, he led a section on a reconnaissance patrol leaving Corporal Vincent Rawlings and the remainder of the platoon in their temporary base at the foot of the hill. After leading his section up a footpath to the crest of the hill, he went forward to observe the enemy positions but was immediately shot and severely wounded by enemy machine gun fire when the patrol was ambushed. At great personal risk, Corporal Rawlings moved forward and retrieved the severely wounded Officer under heavy enemy machine-gun fire, an act that earned him the Honoris Crux Silver. Unfortunately this brave young officer succumbed to his wounds and was pronounced dead on arrival at the Forward Army Surgical Hospital at Cela |
