Identity
Person No.
29732
Old ROH no.
207
Service No.
76468552PE
Last Name
First Name
Bruce Charles
Initials
B C
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
Age at Death
22
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
AA 1,737
Aircraft accident
Cause of Death
Died in Aircraft Accident, near Waterkloof, in Atlas MB326M Impala Mk I #477. Suffered engine failure shortly after take-off from Air Force Base Waterkloof. The aircraft crashed with a high velocity and impact angle near Monument Park Extension. On impact, the ejection seat activated and ejected the pilot horizontally along the ground into the base of a tree trunk, killing him instantly
Military Service
Branch
Air Force
Rank
Lieutenant
Regiment
Unit
Unknown
Secondary Unit
Army
Defence Force
SADF 3,815
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
Locality
Grave Reference
Memorial
Memorial
Location
On a koppie at the Voortrekker Monument, overlooking Pretoria
Address
Coordinates
Panel
Not listed against a numbered panel
On the panel
Position on the panel will be added with photographs
Unit History
Notes
Son of Major and Mrs. J. C. Chinery, of Cape Town. His brother also died in service. ref. 85 years of SAAF | Brother of Pte / Air Mechanic Anthony John Chinery (PN 29731, AF Gymnasium, 30 Jul 1978).
Research notes
5 Sep 2026: Unit "40 Squadron" (a squadron, SAAF's regiment-equivalent) promoted to Regiment, per John's decision. Corps (South African Air Force) unchanged.
Citations
Unknown
External References
-
Col (rt) Graham du Toit Last Post
Col (rt) Graham du Toit Last Post 30 Jul 2026 (cross-ref).
-
SADF.info Border Roll of Honour
open source ↗
SADF.info Border RoH
- South African War Graves Project open source ↗
-
The War in Angola
open source ↗
War In Angola Roll of Honour (warinangola.com, tabid=1175), page 11 of 143: confirmed, no changes.
Stories 1
Bruce Chinery died on 11 Jul 83 flying Impala Mk I No 477. He had a birdstrike at low level near AFB Waterkloof and resultant flame out. He ejected but died in process.
Dedications 1
I did not know Lt Chinery but I witnessed his Impala fly overhead on the day of his accident at Waterkloof in 1983. I could immediately tell he was in trouble. He could have safely ejected at this stage,but he was flying over a populated area. I can only assume that he stayed with his aircraft to guide it further from the houses below. He succeeded in doing this but unfortunately it cost him his life. For this unselfish act, I would like to honor him as a hero. R.I.P.