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Meerholz , Cornelius Alwyn Johannes (C A J)

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Photo of Meerholz
Identity
Person No.
31845
Old ROH no.
940
Service No.
68212471PE
Last Name
Meerholz 3
First Name
Cornelius Alwyn Johannes
Initials
C A J
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
1952 (±1 yr) 288
Age at Death
37
Death Record
Date of Death
21 November 1989 108
Cause code
MVA 2,633
Motor vehicle accident
Cause of Death
Died in motor vehicle accident 1,765
Died in Motor Vehicle Accident, near Gravelot
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Colonel
Regiment
5 Reconnaissance Regiment 72
Later renamed 5 Special Forces Regiment (1995)
Corps
South African Infantry Corps 10,347
Unit
Unknown
Defence Force
SADF 3,832
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
South Africa 23,874
Locality
Gauteng 9,374
Cemetery
THABA TSHWANE (NEW) MILITARY CEMETERY 592
Grave Reference
H6 1
Coordinates
-25.78214, 28.12179 OSM
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.
Awards
Honoris Crux Silver
Honoris Crux Silver (HCS)
South Africa · awarded 1977-10-28
Awarded the Honoris Crux Silver (HCS) for actions on 28 October 1977 with 1 Reconnaissance Regiment, while a Captain. Listed among Honoris Crux Silver recipients: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honoris_Crux_Silver
Southern Cross Medal (1975)
Southern Cross Medal (1975) (SM)
South Africa
Listed with this post-nominal on the SASFA In Memoriam PDF. https://www.recce.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/4.1.-Memoriam.pdf
Notes

No additional information known at this time

Research notes

SASFA In Memoriam (natural / other causes): confirmed operator; SASFA lists Operators deceased through natural / other causes (died while still serving on this roll). SASFA: Meerholz CAJ HCS, SM 1989. https://www.recce.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/4.1.-Memoriam.pdf DATE DISCREPANCY 25 Aug 2026: pantser.cmvo.org.za's SADF deaths PDF gives this person's Sterf (date of death) as "22 11 89" (DD MM YY) against the same ServiceNo (68212471PE) and name -- differs from this record's DateDeath (1989-11-21). Not overwritten, flagged for reference. 26 Aug 2026: Unit was leftover "5 South African Infantry Battalion". SAWGP Regiment 5 Reconnaissance Regiment with no separate unit. 26 Aug 2026: Unit2 leftover formed-unit text cleared (not an arm-of-service or company/squadron qualifier). | Willem Steenkamp, Borderstrike! South Africa into Angola 1975–1980, 3rd ed. (Just Done Productions, 2006, ISBN 978-1-920169-00-8): Appendix B / Savannah-era Honoris Crux Silver listing. Already recorded as HCS.
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

Awarded while a Captain in 1 Recce Regiment on 28 October 1977

External References
Stories 1
by Herman on 17 September 2008 · via source
Died in a motor-car accident in Limpopo.
Dedications 1
on 21 May 2005 · via source
From his gravestone in VTH Cemetery: "Vir my is die lewe Christus en die sterwe wins." John Dovey