« Previous

Lewis , John William (J W)

Next »
Photo of Lewis
Identity
Person No.
13509
Service No.
241506
Last Name
Lewis 50
First Name
John William
Initials
J W
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
Unknown
Age at Death
Unknown
Death Record
Date of Death
16 December 1941 123
Cause code
DOAS 7,466
Died on active service
Cause of Death
Died on active service 6,447
Died on active service
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Private
Regiment
Royal Durban Light Infantry 161
Later renamed Durban Light Infantry (1961)
Corps
South African Infantry Corps 10,347
Unit
1st Bn. 625
Defence Force
UDF 24,809
Union Defence Force
Location
Country
Egypt 2,947
Locality
Unknown
Cemetery
HALFAYA SOLLUM WAR CEMETERY 382
Grave Reference
13. B. 1. 1
Coordinates
31.54956, 25.16047 OSM
Memorial
Roll of Honour of the Royal Durban Light Infantry, 1939-1945 (panel 2 of 2) Source: kznpr.co.za (KZN: A Photographic Historical Record)
Names on WWII Roll of Honour
Memorial
Durban Light Infantry Chapel (Chapel of St Michael & St George)
Location
Durban Light Infantry Headquarters, Durban
Address
5 DLI Avenue, Durban, South Africa
Coordinates
-29.84722, 31.01583 · OpenStreetMap
Panel
WWII Roll of Honour
On the panel
Position on the panel will be added with photographs
Unit History
Role at time of death
Infantry
Status
Active Citizen Force
"Royal" dropped 1961 on Republic formation.
Notes

No additional information known at this time

Research notes


K.M. Jordan, Royal Durban Light Infantry WWII Roll of Honour ("working document", Aug 2026 draft; email to John & Bobby, 4 Sep 2026, marked "not 100% correct"): LEWIS, John William (Son of John Watts Ebden & Ethel May Lewis, of Plumstead. Cape Town.) Not on Durban Cenotaph WWII Memorial. 241506 Private Royal Durban Light Infantry Born Worcester, Cape Province 25/2/1914; a bricklayer with the SAR&H before enlistment; served with the 1st Battalion RDLI in North Africa; killed in action near Bardia, Libya. Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery, Egypt. (Also, on the Royal Durban Light Infantry WWII Memorial and on the SAR&H WWII ROH in the book “We Fought the Miles.”) 16/12/1941 GFXN-HWT 28
CONFLICT vs Jordan RDLI WWII draft (not resolved, ROH value kept): Age: Jordan 28 vs ROH 0.

Citations
Unknown
External References
Stories

No stories have been added yet.

Dedications

No dedications have been added yet.

Source: https://rohsa.co.za/person.php?PersonNumber=13509&pdf=1

© 2026 Roll of Honour Project — All Rights Reserved

South African Roll of Honour — Remembering those who served and fell. Lest We Forget.