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Deacon , George Allan (G A)

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Photo of Deacon
Identity
Person No.
30041
Old ROH no.
339
Service No.
74293275BC
Last Name
Deacon 2
First Name
George Allan
Initials
G A
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
1958 (±1 yr) 437
Age at Death
19
Death Record
Date of Death
17 August 1977 155
Cause code
ACC 1,585
Accident
Cause of Death
Died in Freak Accident 255
Died in Freak Accident, at Okalongo Ovambo, explosion while destroying unsafe explosives
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Lance Corporal
Regiment
2 Field Engineer Regiment 41
Corps
South African Engineer Corps 742
Later renamed South African Corps of Engineers
Unit
31 Battalion 34
Later renamed 201 Battalion (1980)
Secondary Unit
"D" Squadron
Defence Force
SADF 3,823
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
South Africa 23,863
Locality
KwaZulu-Natal 1,589
Cemetery
DURBAN (STELLAWOOD) CREMATORIUM 15
Grave Reference
Panel 44 and 46. 1
Memorial
Photo: "Battle Group Alpha, 31 & 201 Battalion Commemorative Needle 03.jpg" -- Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_Group_Alpha,_31_%26_201_Battalion_Commemorative_Needle_03.jpg
Memorial
Battle Group Alpha, 31 & 201 Battalion Commemorative Needle
Location
Location not recorded
Panel
Not listed against a numbered panel
On the panel
Position on the panel will be added with photographs
Unit History
Role at time of death
Field Engineers
Status
Permanent Force (Regular)
Part of
Engineer Formation — Regular
Formed 1973 from 17 Field Squadron (relocated from Potchefstroom to Bethlehem, 1967); listed as the primary deployment unit of the SA Army Engineer Formation's regular units.
Notes

Son of Mr. M. M. Deacon, of Kentucky Drive, Virginia, Durban. On 31/201 Bn Memorial Needle

Research notes


4 Sep 2026: Unit leftover "2 Field Engineer Regiment" (a named regiment, not a sub-unit) moved to Regiment. Corps unchanged.

10 Sep 2026: Unit set to 31 Battalion per Mike Sandham naming rule (DoD 1977-08-17 before 1 Aug 1980). Needle memorial.
14 Sep 2026: Pro Patria Medal added -- database-wide sweep for SADF Border War operational-area deaths within the medal's gazetted window (25 Jun 1976 - 27 Apr 2003), per the warrant's died-before-qualifying-period provision. See PersonAward.Citation for the gazette references.
14 Sep 2026: Pro Patria Medal added earlier today REVERTED -- John obtained the actual Government Gazette (GG 5171/5575); the "died before completing the qualifying period" provision relied on does not exist in the primary text (it was a secondary-source claim). Actual Rule 5 requires (a) combat/enemy-caused incident, (b) a Ministerially-acknowledged operation (clasp), or (c) 55+ continuous/90+ non-continuous days in an operational area -- none of which this record's cause of death clearly demonstrates.

Citations
Unknown
External References
Stories 1
on 21 November 2002 · via source
Explosion Unknown 2002-11-21 17:04:03 <a href="main.php?page=
Dedications 1
by RIP George Alan Stevenson on 15 January 2011 · via source
I went to school in Durban with George, he was a talented young sportsman and very popular. He did his national service a year after me and I understand was killed in a anti-personnel mine explosion in the Caprivi.