Boshoff , Daniel Petrus (D P)

'Bossie' was a member of my Squadron (A Squadron - 1973 : 1SSB Bloem). In October 1973, we had come back from the border and were spending our last days as 'ou manne', before 'klaring out', at De Brug, on random manouveres with Citizen Forces members on course. It was weekend and the PF's at the time left De Brug for Bloem for the weekend - we stayed at De Brug for a 'slow' weekend and to look after the verhicles. When night fell, Bossie, Flip, Ernst, and one more guy - I don't remember his name -, took a 60 (Armoured Car) to go and hunt for rabbits - 'hase jag' on the open plains of De Brug. It was not long before some guys from another unit arrived in a 'garry' with the news that there was an accident - Bossie had fallen off the armoured car on full speed, and landed under the wheels. He was killed. For men who had done border duty in the Caprivi and Southern Angola / Zambia, and had gone through a tough year in die armoured corps, it was a devastating blow. For the driver, Flip, and Ernst, who were also my school friends in Zeerust for five years, this was an incident that we would never forget as long as we lived. Bossie was burried in Welkom in full military hounors and we marched proudly that day - not for the miserable accident that claimed his life, but for what he stood for and what he contributed during 1973 at 1SSB. I will always remember Bossie as one of the most jovial and outgoing positive souls, I had the honour to serve with and be friends with. I heard from friends many years later that Flip died in a car crash - I could never get that confirmed though. The men I served with at 1SSB A Squadron in Bloem during 1973 (our corporals then were Mike Muller, Killer Steinberg and the like) were tough and good guys, going on to serve their country with pride and honour in their Citizen Force units.