Identity
Person No.
30280
Old ROH no.
443
Service No.
72302342PM
Last Name
First Name
Edward Richard
Initials
E R
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
Age at Death
31
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
KIA 14,780
Killed in action
Cause of Death
Killed in action, shot down whilst on an operational sortie in Angola, in Dassault Mirage F1AZ #245. Shot down by a Soviet SA-13 Gopher Surface-to-Air Missile at Cuatir near Menongue. The aircraft was seen to crash in flames and disintegrate on impact with the ground. A Special Forces team covering the area where the Mirage wreckage was located reported a large number of FAPLA and Cuban Air Force intelligence personnel picking through the wreckage and called in an artillery barrage onto the wreckage. The MRL Rocket-launcher Troop under Pierre Franken hit the spot with a half-ripple of 127mm High Explosive Fragmentation Rockets and two FAPLA trucks were required to collect the more than 143 Cuban and FAPLA bodies that were killed by this rocket barrage
Military Service
Branch
Air Force
Rank
Major
Regiment
Unit
Unknown
Defence Force
SADF 3,825
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
Locality
Grave Reference
Coordinates
Unit History
Part of
Awards
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 Mr. and Mrs. F. E. Every
Research notes
5 Sep 2026: Unit "1 Squadron" (a squadron, SAAF's regiment-equivalent) promoted to Regiment, per John's decision. Corps (South African Air Force) unchanged.
25 Sep 2026, Unit2 service-branch sweep: the stored Secondary Unit "Army" was CLEARED. It was not a sub-unit, it was a service-branch word, and it CONTRADICTED this record's own Branch, "Air Force". Across the roll 787 records carried such a contradiction; judged against Corps and Regiment -- independent of both columns -- the evidence backed Branch 744 times and Unit2 not once. Branch is therefore kept and the contradicting word removed. Nothing is guessed: this man's branch of service is already recorded, and his sub-unit, if any, is simply not known.
Citations
Unknown
External References
-
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 77 of 143: confirmed, no changes.
-
The War in Angola
open source ↗
War in Angola Member Dedications forum (www.warinangola.com), Excel export supplied by Johan Schoeman, 1 Sep 2026. Forum post(s): 19303, 19304, 23817, 34774.
Stories 2
Major Ed Every was killed in action when his Mirage F1AZ was shot down whilst on an operational sortie. Unknown Unknown
After releasing their bombs, Minne and Every broke out to the left while the other pair went right. Minne heard Every shout, : Break left!??? and promptly obeyed. Seconds later he heard Nel shouting, ??? Eject! Eject!??? Reaching the safety of low level, Minne could see the plume of smoke where Major Ed Every???s aircraft had crashed??????.He was 31. Vlamgat. Dick Lord(RIP) Giep Vermeulen
Dedications 5
From his Gravestone at VTH: "At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember him." John Dovey
Maj Every was my instructor in 1986 and left us suddenly never to return. A most professional pilot and instructor, always remembered by course 1/86 Dunnottar.
The location of where Maj Ed Everys plane went down has just been found, thanks to the efforts of a group of dedicated veterans of the Angolan, Mozambican and African WAR RELICS group on Facebook
This was the last photograph taken of Ed Every RIP [Photo from Giep Vermeulen]
This was the last photograph taken of Ed Every RIP [Photo from Giep Vermeulen]
Rest in peace Ed. Gone but never forgotten
Posted by FrMark on AvCom in respecr of Major Ed Every: "Major Edward Everys family lived in Cradock in the Eastern Cape. There is a Plaque in his honour in the Methodist Church at no 65 Breë Street in the town.
I never saw him being hit, I was too busy, but I do remember the feeling of indescribable rage and regret, the feeling of loss that hit me in the pit of my stomach when I heard about it. I was not in the Airforce, yet they were our angels especially in light of the Mig's that were harassing us daily."
I never saw him being hit, I was too busy, but I do remember the feeling of indescribable rage and regret, the feeling of loss that hit me in the pit of my stomach when I heard about it. I was not in the Airforce, yet they were our angels especially in light of the Mig's that were harassing us daily."