Identity
Person No.
30718
Old ROH no.
588
Service No.
84340157BG
Last Name
First Name
Adriaan Hodgson
Initials
A H
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
Age at Death
19
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
KIA 14,780
Killed in action
Cause of Death
Killed in action, in Battle of Cuito Cuanavale, Ratel 90 was hit by a 100mm round fired from a Russian T55 tank. The projectile skipped off the muddy ground and went into the turret of his vehicle. His gunner and driver was also wounded in this battle but later recovered
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Second Lieutenant
Regiment
Unit
Unknown
Secondary Unit
"C" Squadron
Defence Force
SADF 3,823
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
Locality
Grave Reference
Memorial
Memorial
Location
Cuito Cuanavale, Cuando Cubango province, Angola
Coordinates
Panel
On the panel
Operation Moduler
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
Operation
Operation
Dates
1987-08-01 to 1987-11-15
About
Operation launched to support UNITA against a major FAPLA offensive aimed at capturing UNITA's stronghold of Mavinga. Culminated in the Battle of the Lomba River (September-October 1987), where SADF mechanised and artillery forces, fighting alongside UNITA, halted and largely destroyed FAPLA's 47 Brigade attempting to cross the river — the action in which several ROH records on this site (Alves, De Klerk, Kuyler, McCallum, Mananza, Tchipango and others) were killed when their Ratel 90 was destroyed at point-blank range by a T-55 tank.
Unit History
Role at time of death
Mechanised Infantry (combined-arms battalion group)
Status
Regular Force
Part of
Formed 1978 as Battle Group Juliet (SWAPO counter-insurgency, Ovamboland); formally named 61 Mechanised Battalion (Group) January 1979; disbanded 2005 at Lohatla. "Battalion Group" reflects its integral combined-arms structure: two Ratel-20-mounted infantry companies, an armoured car/tank squadron (Eland/Ratel-90, later Olifant), an integral G5 howitzer artillery battery, an 81mm mortar platoon, an anti-tank platoon, and an anti-aircraft troop -- not merely units attached for one operation. Fought at the Battle of the Lomba River, 1987. No evidence found that it was ever subordinated to or redesignated as a "61 Mechanised Brigade" -- see the note on that separate OrgEntity record.
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 Reverend and Mrs. E. J. Hind
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 66-76 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): 20664, 26822.
Stories 3
Lt Hind was a troop commander in "C-Squadron", 61 MECH BN GRP. He was fataly wounded on 3 October 1987 when his Rattel 90 was hit by a 100mm round fired from a Russian T55 tank. The projectile skipped off the muddy ground and went into the turret of his vehicle. His gunner and driver was also wounded in this battle of Cuito Cuanavale but later recovered
my crew comamander,to this day i regret for leaving you in our ratel.i know you paid the ultimate sacrifice;but it was your command discipline in our vechile that saved my life.i do believe god our father saved life that day when i ran in between the bullets.how not one bullet hit me is a miracle in itself.thank you for the faith you had in me as your gunner.also thank-you for all christian faith you installed in me,even thou at times,i was mighty drunk.god has removed the alcohol from life for the past 10 years now.so lond my friend till we meet again. stompie
One our bloodiest battles. I was positioned at the 7 o'clock 50-100m behind 33 Charlie,Adrians Ratel 90, in 30 bevels ratel. He was in the process of laying down fire and getting ready to "wissel" position.Earlier he had reported seeing a tank and im sure this is what he was firing at. His driver Glen Woodhouse was about to back up when the left front side exploded in front of the wheel. the blast went upward and into the ratel, almost directly in front of Adrians position in the left turret,, exposing him to the full blast. Glen also took some of the blast, and Stompie the gunner could only have received minor cuts, as he bailed out the right turret confused and came hurdling past our vehicle with what looked like missing fingers, as he tried to keep it still and kept looking at it. I briefly informed our Capt. Cloete of the situation as he was talking to HQ command somewhere behind us. I dont think he heard,so i ordered my driver forward to 33C ,as the gunner and officer were still in the motionless vehicle. At that point i saw Adrian dismounting the turret from the left side,fall to the ground, get up walk toward the ystervark only 20 meters or so left of his position, but fell again.Before we pulled up left and behind 33c, i noticed Glen appear around the back right side of his ratel, very dissoriented and tried to find the water spout to the vehicles left water tank.Apparently he could not get out of the hatch above him as the turret was covering it, so he pulled himself through the turret and out the right side door. Our sqaudron was still in full contact ,with mortar,tank ,heavy and small weapons fire exploding everywhere,i could hear schrapnel pinging of the sides of our vehicle and chipping pieces of the glass through the viewing ports.As we were approaching, i opened our right side door and bailed out rushing towards Glen who now had decided to plonk himself down right there next to his ratel.At first glance i could barely make out his face as the whole right side was covered with blood. I yelled at him to get up(knowing how tall and big he was)so i could get under his shoulder and guide him back to our vehicle.he was clearly in bad shape as i struggled to hold his weight and stagger in that typical thick angola sand. as we approached our rightside door Jaque De Wet , my driver was holding the hydrolics to the door, i shoved Glen into the tight space inside that door so Jaque could close it and clammberd over
Dedications 4
Adrian - slept in same bungalow with you during JL's, drank beer with you and was newly arrived in Angola the day you were killed... Gone, but never forgotten - you gave the ultimate sacrifice!
Adrian my brother , i saw you stagger , bewildered and dazed, you dismounted the ratel and stumbled a few, trying to make it to vehicle next to you. The pain was too great the damage was done. you held up your head and tumbled to the ground. brothers picked you up and pulled you in , i know you were not really there , as God took you in! Cpl.
Just for the record, Adrian was not killed instantly. His gunner Kurt Oelofse helped him out of the turret. He climbed off the vehicle and was standing near the water tank when one of the infantry Ratels collected him and took him to the ambulance vehicles at the rear. (Rifleman Green was awarded a HC for this deed).
The doctors really battled to save his life. Maj. Danie Laas (later OC of 61), did a direct BT from him to Adrian (or was it to Glenn Woodhouse - the driver). Glen was seriously wounded horrific facial injuries. He made it.
Stompie (Kurt Oelofse) lost a finger or two in the process. The emotional scars over the years would be must worse than the physical. RIP Adrian and Salute to all our brothers in arms.
The doctors really battled to save his life. Maj. Danie Laas (later OC of 61), did a direct BT from him to Adrian (or was it to Glenn Woodhouse - the driver). Glen was seriously wounded horrific facial injuries. He made it.
Stompie (Kurt Oelofse) lost a finger or two in the process. The emotional scars over the years would be must worse than the physical. RIP Adrian and Salute to all our brothers in arms.
From Anthony Turton: