Identity
Person No.
31261
Service No.
73542854
Last Name
First Name
Gordon Walter Graham
Initials
G W G
Date of Birth
Age at Death
19
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
Unknown
Cause of Death
Died from electric shock when his radio antenna touched the HT cables at Johannesburg Station. The antenna wire was thrown over the carriage roof of the stationary train to get better reception but it hit the overhead HT cables
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Sapper
Regiment
Corps
Unit
Unknown
Defence Force
SADF 3,832
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
Locality
Grave Reference
Coordinates
Unit History
Attached To
Role at time of death
Field Engineers
Status
Permanent Force (Regular)
Part of
Formed 1973 from 17 Field Squadron (relocated from Potchefstroom to Bethlehem, 1967); listed as the primary deployment unit of the SA Army Engineer Formation's regular units.
Notes
Son of Mrs. L. C. Buys, of Johannesburg. ref. SA Engineers Roll of Honour (www.sasappers.net)
Research notes
4 Sep 2026: Unit leftover "2 Field Engineer Regiment" (a named regiment, not a sub-unit) moved to Regiment. Corps unchanged.
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), pages 17-18 of 143: confirmed, no changes.
Stories 1
Born 29 January 1957. Grave west park cemetery. Talk of him every day 31 years. His heartbroken mother. Died aboard troop train returning from dismantling badly damaged bridge. Died 10 December 1976.
Dedications
No dedications have been added yet.