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Drake , Jonathan Raymond Spencer (J R S)

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Identity
Person No.
30116
Old ROH no.
368
Service No.
76301407BG
Last Name
First Name
Jonathan Raymond Spencer
Initials
J R S
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
Age at Death
21
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
KIA 14,779
Killed in action
Cause of Death
Killed in action, in an ambush while going for brunch, before starting their patrol
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Rifleman
Unit
Unknown
Secondary Unit
"B" Coy.
Defence Force
SADF 3,832
South African Defence Force
Memorial
Memorial
Location
Pinetown Library grounds, Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal
Address
Coordinates
Panel
On the panel
Position on the panel will be added with photographs
Awards
Pro Patria Medal
South Africa
Pro Patria Medal warrant, Government Gazette No. 5171 (25 Jun 1976), Rule 5, as amended by GG No. 5575 (3 Jun 1977); discontinued by GG No. 25213 (25 Jul 2003, Schedule corrected by GG No. 26778, 17 Sep 2004) for service on/after 27 Apr 2003. Gazette extracts: https://rohsa.co.za/award.php?id=24
Notes

Son of Mrs. M. V. Drake. On Pinetown, Kwazulu Natal Memorial.

Research notes


13 Sep 2026: Pinetown Roll of Honour confirms exactly: Rifleman J.R.S. Drake, 8 South African Infantry Battalion, died in the operational area 15-01-1982 -- attended Kearsney College, a direct descendant of Capt Spencer Drake, an early Pinetown pioneer. Named on the Wayside Cross, Pinetown.

Citations
Unknown
External References
Stories

No stories have been added yet.

Dedications 4
by FrankN on 27 August 2006 · via source
John Drake died in the same clash. Both from 8 SAI Upington B Coy.
by John Arthur on 22 April 2012 · via source
Bruce was a really nice bloke, he was a volunteer and my mate at 8 SAI, I was in their Section and would have been with them but got transfered after getting back late from pass. John Drake was also a great bloke and was killed with the talk (black translator), Arthur got shot on the arm and had to play dead in order to survive. He watched as the terrs went through the guys kit. A small boy came to sell them chickens before they got revved and he must have given the terrs info. Another LP (local population0 was ploughing his land and suddely disappeared efore the firefight. The full name of the camp was Mpunguvlei.
by Shaheda on 02 July 2013 · via source
Thanks to Arthur Luiz and Kevin Holdsworth for the photos of their army days at 8 SAI. To see how young they all were and knowing that John Drake and Bruce White never returned alive is a sorry waste of life . John Arthur cheated death a number of times on the border. He was in the same section as John and Bruce who were ambushed. Also, he was in a large fire fight (contact) when they rode right into the middle of a FAPLA Angolan army division and stood up in full view to return fire . He would like to make contact with Etienne Rademeyer, who was in the same vehicle as him in Angola. We have asked 1 mil Pretoria why John was sent there for treatment, from Mpunguvlei, but they have not replied. He was registered as AWOL for a few weeks and returned a different person.
on 17 August 2026 · via source
John was a good mate, Killed on the border in a clash just on/after Xmas 1982. From memory in was at Mpungu not far from Rundu.