Identity
Person No.
29310
Old ROH no.
2122
Service No.
P1/19322
Last Name
First Name
Wessel Jacobus Johannes
Initials
W J J
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
Age at Death
31
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
KIA 14,780
Killed in action
Cause of Death
Killed in action, in North American F-51 Mustang #317. Capt W.J.J. Badenhorst, together with Lt Paterson and 2Lt Ansell, were conducting an armed reconnaissance north of Sinanju, Lt Richter of their patrol having already turned back due to engine trouble. The three remaining Mustangs were descending towards the bridge over the Chon-Chongang River, when they were fired on suddenly by what appeared to be a 20 mm flak battery. Capt Badenhorst began to warn his flight, but stopped in mid-sentence, after which his Mustang was seen to climb, then dive out of control into Sinanju, where it crashed and burst into flames
Military Service
Location
Country
Locality
Unknown
Cemetery
Grave Reference
Memorial
Memorial
Location
Tanggok, Nam District, Busan, South Korea
Address
Coordinates
Panel
On the panel
Panel 13 - Body not recovered
Unit History
Part of
Awards
Air Force Cross (AFC)
United Kingdom
AFC LG Sup 13 June 1946 pg. 2834 | 5 Sep 2026: Unit "2 Squadron" (a squadron, SAAF's regiment-equivalent) promoted to Regiment, per John's
Notes
Son of Mr. F. H. Badenhorst, of Ngome, Natal. Husband of Mrs. Maria Elisabeth Badenhorst, of Unified, Florida, Transvaal. ref. 85 years of SAAF
Research notes
5 Sep 2026: Unit "2 Squadron" (a squadron, SAAF's regiment-equivalent) promoted to Regiment, per John's decision. Corps (South African Air Force) unchanged.
Citations
AFC LG Sup 13 June 1946 pg. 2834
External References
- South African War Graves Project open source ↗
-
United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea
open source ↗
United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea (UNMCK), Busan — South African Korean War dead.
Stories 1
Capt W.J.J. Badenhorst, together with Lt Paterson and 2Lt Ansell, were conducting an armed reconnaissance north of Sinanju, Lt Richter of their patrol having already turned back due to engine trouble. The three remaining Mustangs were descending towards the bridge over the Chon-Chongang River, when they were fired on suddenly by what appeared to be a 20 mm flak battery. Capt Badenhorst began to warn his flight, but stopped in mid-sentence, after which his Mustang was seen to climb, then dive out of control into Sinanju, where it crashed and burst into flames.
Dedications
No dedications have been added yet.