Identity
Person No.
1391
Service No.
3981V
Last Name
First Name
Desmond Robert
Initials
D R
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
Age at Death
23
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
KIA 14,780
Killed in action
Cause of Death
Killed in action, near Villa Franca, Italy. A section of carriers were diverted northwest of Padova, in the direction of Villa Franca. He was killed in sporadic contacts with the enemy. He was the last member of the RNC to be killed in action in Italy
Military Service
Location
Country
Locality
Unknown
Grave Reference
Coordinates
Unit History
Role at time of death
Infantry (1st Bn); 2nd Bn converted to armour 1939-45 as 6th Reconnaissance Regiment, SA Tank Corps (Egypt)
Status
Active Citizen Force
WWII-only split: 1st Battalion fought as infantry; 2nd Battalion converted to armour, later amalgamated with 4th Armoured Car Regiment as 4th/6th ACR. Not a permanent whole-regiment Corps change. No SADF-era (1974-92) brigade attachment found in available sources -- left unrecorded rather than guessed.
Notes
Son of George Robert and Doris Alma Beattie (nee Stacey), of Crown Hotel, Pietermaritzburg. Born Estcourt, Natal. A clerk. He was unmarried.
Citations
Unknown
External References
Stories
No stories have been added yet.
Dedications
No dedications have been added yet.