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Botha , Hertzog (H)

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No photograph available — remembrance poppy
Identity
Person No.
2235
Service No.
1889
Last Name
First Name
Hertzog
Initials
H
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
Age at Death
27
Death Record
Cause code
POW 1,367
Died as prisoner of war
Cause of Death
Died as a POW, whilst being loaded onto railway wagons to be transported to Germany, the rail yards at Aquila were bombed by USAF B-25 bombers. About 200 POWs were killed, all who were trapped in locked cattle cars
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Lance Corporal
Defence Force
UDF 24,809
Union Defence Force
Location
Locality
Unknown
Grave Reference
Memorial
Memorial
Location
Durban Light Infantry Headquarters, Durban
Address
Coordinates
Panel
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

Son of Cornelius Johannes and Hester Susanna (nee Marx) Botha. Born Lushington, Stockenstroom

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"): BOTHA, Hertzog (Son of Hester Susanna (nee Marx) Botha; father Cornelius Johannes Botha deceased 16/1/1925; they had 11 children.) 1889 Lance Corporal Royal Durban Light Infantry Born Lushington, Stockenstroom, Eastern Cape 7/3/1917; baptised Grey Kerk 8/7/1917; a fireman with the SAR&H before enlistment; served with the 1st Battalion RDLI in North Africa; captured at Tobruk; died as a POW. Whilst being loaded onto railway wagons to be transported to Germany, USAF B-25 bombers mistakenly bombed the rail yards at L’Aquila, Italy, killing about 200 POWs, all who were trapped in locked cattle cars. Ancona War Cemetery, Italy. (Also, on the Royal Durban Light Infantry WWII Memorial and on the SAR&H WWII ROH in the book “We Fought the Miles.”) Not on Durban Cenotaph WWII Memorial. 08/12/1943 GQJF-SFW 27

Citations
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