Identity
Person No.
30418
Old ROH no.
501
Service No.
72473226BC
Last Name
First Name
Robert Shepperson
Initials
R S
Date of Birth
Age at Death
19
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
MVA 2,633
Motor vehicle accident
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Corporal
Regiment
Unit
Unknown
Secondary Unit
1 Special Service Battalion
Defence Force
SADF 3,832
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
Locality
Grave Reference
Memorial
Memorial
Location
On a koppie at the Voortrekker Monument, overlooking Pretoria
Address
Coordinates
Panel
Not listed against a numbered panel
On the panel
Position on the panel will be added with photographs
Unit History
Attached To
Role at time of death
Armour (Armoured Car)
Status
Permanent Force (Regular)
Part of
Resuscitated as a Permanent Force unit in 1946, when the South African Armoured Corps was officially proclaimed and the Special Service Battalion was included in it as the corps's only full-time unit, its symbols and colours being incorporated. Same lineage as the Special Service Battalion (OrgEntityID 5278); "1 Special Service Battalion" is the specific numbered battalion within that Permanent Force unit.
SOURCE CONFLICT, recorded rather than resolved: the 1 SSB article says the post-war reorganisation produced "1 Special Service Battalion and 1 South African Infantry Battalion", which would make 1 SAI the other battalion from the start. The Special Service Battalion and 2 SSB articles instead have the second battalion carrying the name 2 SSB until 26 January 1951, when it was renamed 1 SAI. The two accounts cannot both be right about when the name 1 SAI appeared. NO OrgEntityAlias is recorded for 2221 on the strength of either.
Border War service falls in this era: South West Africa and Angola, with squadrons detached to battlegroups rather than the regiment deploying whole -- among them 63 Mechanised Battalion Group, on Operations Merlyn and Agree in 1989. Equipped with the Eland 60 and Eland 90. All but three of the men on this roll who point at 2221 died in this period.
The Union Defence Force became the South African Defence Force in 1957, part-way through this era; no man on this roll attached to 2221 died before 1964, so the change affects none of them.
Notes
Son of Mr. L. Giani, of Muldersdrift. | Trevor W Gibbon (28 Feb 2018): full names Robert Shepperson Gibbon (ROH had Sheppard); DOB 13 Oct 1956; unit Special Service Battalion; photo offered. Attached 72 Mot Bde retained as death unit.
Research notes
Trevor W Gibbon email 28 Feb 2018 (family). 26 Aug 2026: Unit leftover "72 Motorised Brigade" → 1 Special Service Battalion (SAWGP Unit).
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), pages 85-87 of 143: confirmed, no changes.
Stories
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Dedications
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