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Smith , Pieter Joachim (P J)

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Photo of Smith
Identity
Person No.
33024
Old ROH no.
1319
Service No.
88261003BT
Last Name
Smith 325
First Name
Pieter Joachim
Initials
P J
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
1971 (±1 yr) 220
Age at Death
22
Death Record
Date of Death
14 September 1993 107
Cause code
DOAS 7,466
Died on active service
Cause of Death
Died on active service 6,447
Died on active service
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Rifleman
Regiment
South African Commandos 98
Corps
South African Infantry Corps
Unit
Broederstroom Commando 1
Secondary Unit
H.Q.
Defence Force
SADF 3,852
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
South Africa 23,872
Locality
North West 534
Cemetery
HARTEBEESPOORT CEMETERY 6
Grave Reference
E.C. 6919. 1
Unit History
Role at time of death
Infantry (area defence)
Status
Commando (Area Bound Reserve)
Part of
SADF Commando System category
Part of
Group 15
Generic Regiment-field text used across hundreds of records whose actual unit is a specific local Commando (e.g. Rustenburg Commando, Boksburg Commando -- captured in Unit). Post-WWII, "Commando" is its own force-component category alongside Regular/Permanent Force and Active Citizen Force -- area-bound, part-time reserve units tied to a specific district, mobilised for local counter-insurgency/area protection duties during the Border War era. Not a single regiment; this Status applies to the whole category.
Notes

No additional information known at this time

Research notes

SN CORRECTION 25 Aug 2026: ServiceNo 81345688BG cleared -- the pantser.cmvo.org.za SADF deaths PDF lists that number under "SMITH, PIETER JEREMIAS" (CPL, Sterf 06 03 86), matching PersonNumber 33023 (Smith, DateDeath 1986-03-06) by surname and exact date, not this record. Original value: "81345688BG". Left as an unresolved collision otherwise -- this correction is specific to this one PDF-confirmed case, not a general claim this record's other data is wrong. 26 Aug 2026: Unit leftover "40 Squadron" → Broederstroom Commando (SAWGP Unit); Regiment "South African Army" → South African Commandos (SAWGP Regiment).
14 Sep 2026: Col (rt) Graham du Toit, Last Post, confirmed by Bushwar Books' same-day post: L/Cpl P.J. Smith, South African Army, gunshot wound accidentally sustained at Broederstroom, age 22. Matches this record on name/date/place; ServiceNo (88261003BT) added, was blank. Rank conflict, not resolved: Graham/Bushwar "Lance Corporal" vs this record's "Rifleman". Cause detail (gunshot wound) added here; CauseDeath field ("Died on active service") left as is, not overwritten.
Mike Sandham's research log ("List 1"), imported 16 Sep 2026, credited to The South Africa War Graves Project unless his entry says otherwise: filled Corps -- each of these was EMPTY on this record and no existing value was changed. Derived fields recomputed inline where applicable.

Citations
Unknown
External References
Stories 1
by Graham Du Toit on 16 September 2014 · via source
14 Sep 1993: 88261003BT Lance Corporal Pieter Joachim Smith died from a gunshot wound accidentally sustained at Broederstroom. He was 22.
Dedications

No dedications have been added yet.