Identity
Person No.
29814
Old ROH no.
241
Service No.
66458696N
Last Name
First Name
Hylton Dudley
Initials
H D
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
Age at Death
19
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
MVA 2,625
Motor vehicle accident
Cause of Death
Died in Military Vehicle Accident, while being transported in a Gladiator Troop Carrier back to Ladysmith Army Camp. Their vehicle was involved in a head-on collision with a Newspaper Delivery Van between Colesburg and Philippolis and the vehicle immediately burst into flames with the men still trapped inside and unable to escape
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Rifleman
Unit
Unknown
Secondary Unit
Army
Defence Force
SADF 3,817
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
Locality
Cemetery
Grave Reference
Coordinates
Unit History
Part of
Notes
Son of Mr. S. H. Coker, of Durban.
Research notes
Col (rt) Graham du Toit Last Post 13 Sep 2026 / Bushwar Books Lest We Forget 13 September (https://www.warbooks.co.za/posts/lest-we-forget-13-september/ 66458696N Rifleman Hilton Dudley Coker, 3 SAI, Gladiator Troop Carrier head-on with newspaper delivery van between Colesburg and Philippolis, age 19. SN/unit/age/cause already matched. Graham+Bushwar spell "Hilton"; stored "Hylton" left (SAWGP-style spelling).
Citations
Unknown
External References
-
Bushwar Books - Lest We Forget
open source ↗
Lest We Forget 13 September
-
Col (rt) Graham du Toit Last Post
Graham Last Post 13 Sep 2026
-
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), pages 82-84 of 143: confirmed, no changes.
Stories 3
Shaun Hammond (SHammond@tu.gov.ab.ca) Date sent: Fri, 13 Aug 1999 10:27:25 -0600 John 241: Rfn H.D. Coker. I went to school with Dudley Coker. Quiet reliable guy, a decent man. He did his NS at the same time I did; I believe he was with 3SAI (Grahamstown?). Dudley was killed as a result of a motor vehicle accident involving his section being transported in (as I recall) one of those miserable Gladiators. There was a bad crash and fire, with the troops trapped in the rear. The word spread quickly around the SAI Battalions about the incident, leaving all of us with a sick feeling about the losses. RIP.
13 Sep 1970: Six members from 5 SAI and one member from 3 SAI were killed while being transported in a Gladiator Troop Carrier back to Ladysmith Army Camp. Their vehicle was involved in a head-on collision with a Newspaper Delivery Van between Colesburg and Philippolis and the vehicle immediately burst into flames with the men still trapped inside. The casualties were:
66458696N Rifleman Hilton Dudley Coker (3 SAI). He was 19.
Dedications 1
RIP.