Identity
Person No.
30125
Old ROH no.
373
Service No.
82518556BG
Last Name
First Name
Douw Gerbrand
Initials
D G
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
Age at Death
19
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
DROW 1,203
Drowned
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Private
Regiment
4 Reconnaissance Regiment 10
Later renamed
4 Special Forces Regiment
(1995)
Unit
Unknown
Defence Force
SADF 3,828
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
Locality
Grave Reference
Coordinates
Unit History
Role at time of death
Special Forces (reconnaissance)
Status
Regular Force
Each numbered Reconnaissance unit was renamed over time: "X Reconnaissance Commando" -> "X Reconnaissance Regiment" (1981) -> briefly a Parachute Battalion designation (1992/93, under "45 Parachute Brigade", a Special-Forces-only designation distinct from the real 44 Parachute Brigade) -> "X Special Forces Regiment" (1995). The parent formation itself changed name several times before 1995 (Special Forces Headquarters, then Directorate Reconnaissance(Forces)) with disputed exact dates between sources -- 1995 is the one date sources agree on. Corps classified as SAIC (South African Infantry Corps) per this site's own records; no independent source found confirms that for Special Forces units specifically -- treat as owner-asserted pending a better citation.
Notes
Son of Mr. and Mrs. J. P. du Plessis
Research notes
26 Aug 2026: Unit was leftover "TS Training Centre". SAWGP Regiment 4 Reconnaissance Regiment with no separate unit.
25 Sep 2026, Unit2 service-branch sweep: the stored Secondary Unit "Army" was CLEARED as a duplicate. It was not a sub-unit, it was a service-branch word repeating what the Branch column already says. Secondary Unit is for sub-units -- a company, a squadron, a commando -- and this record's branch of service is unchanged at "Army".
Citations
Unknown
External References
- South African War Graves Project open source ↗
-
The War in Angola
open source ↗
War In Angola Roll of Honour (warinangola.com, tabid=1175), page 21 of 143: confirmed, no changes.
Stories
No stories have been added yet.
Dedications 1
DG Du Plessis will always be my brother and be remembered for his bravery and courage serving in Angole.I miss himm he went by the nickname of Wollie in the family.One day maybe we will know the truth what realy happened....Miss you my brother.