Identity
Person No.
33063
Old ROH no.
1875
Service No.
75540740PE
Last Name
First Name
Clifton
Initials
C
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
Age at Death
21
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
KIA 14,780
Killed in action
Cause of Death
Killed in action, hit by an RPG a short while before Operation Protea in Angola, in Allouette III #48(2)
Military Service
Branch
Air Force
Rank
Sergeant
Regiment
Unknown
Secondary Unit
Army
Defence Force
SADF 3,817
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
Locality
Cemetery
Grave Reference
Operation
Operation
Dates
1981-08-23 to 1981-09-04
About
The largest SADF conventional operation since the Second World War at the time it was launched: a deep mechanised incursion into Cunene province, Angola, against SWAPO and Angolan (FAPLA) forces, resulting in the occupation of Xangongo and Ongiva and the capture of large quantities of Soviet-supplied FAPLA equipment.
Unit History
Part of
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
Husband of Mrs. H. C. Stacey. ref. 85 years of SAAF
Research notes
Col (rt) Graham du Toit Last Post 25 Aug 2026 / Bushwar Books: confirm Alouette III #48 shootdown near Mongua, but give cause as "14,5mm anti-aircraft fire" vs this record's "RPG" -- not overwritten, conflict noted.
Citations
Unknown
External References
-
Col (rt) Graham du Toit Last Post
Graham Last Post 25 Aug 2026
- South African War Graves Project open source ↗
-
The War in Angola
open source ↗
War In Angola Roll of Honour (warinangola.com, tabid=1175), pages 46-47 of 143: confirmed, no changes.
Stories 3
Sgt Stacey died in an Allouete Gunship in 1981 when their helicopter, piloted by Lieutenant Roos, was hit by an RPG shortly before the start of Operation Protea. I believe that it took place near Ongiva. The wreck was recovered and brought back to AFB Ondangwa. Both these men were wonderful people and it still makes me sad to think that they lost their lives in such tragic circumstances.
It was 1981, Stacy and I were from 17 Sqd Alouettes A.F.B Swartcops. We were working out of Ondongwa. I do not know if it was an rpg that brought him down. I inspected his breastplate and it was full of holes this made me assume it was anti-aircraft fire. I heard that they had made a risky move to help out an army unit. Stacy may have been small in stature but he was as brave as they come, in the days before he was shot down I remember him calming some new guys by telling them not to worry, that contact was like T.V. games. Here i am 27yrs later and it feels like yesterday. His father was CO of 19 Sqd Pumas at the time. My heart goes out to him, his mother, his new wife and his new child who would never get to know him. On a lighter note Stacy and I had an ongoing problem at Ondongwa, that was the alowance they gave you while you were up there. All thy gave you was 2 Rand a day spending money so we had to make that stretch, but remember, the charge in the base pub for a brandy was 5cent,for a coke it was 35cent so the norm was 6 brandys to a half can of coke.
Lt Roos and Sgt Stacey were the crew of the Alouette shot down over Mongua on 25 August 1981. I was a platoon commander in combat team 'Mamba', part of 61 Mech Bn. On this day, our job was to take Mongua, north-west of Ongiva. The Alo crew assisted us with navigation to the target through the thick bush to the south of the town, and they did a great job. The job was acutally meant to be done by a Bosbok aircraft crew, but the Bosbok had mechanical trouble, so Lt Roos and Sgt Stacey took over. We were very close to the target area, maybe 500 m or so, when the Alo was hit by a 14.5 mm anti-aircraft fire. It crashed right behind our Ratels, and members of our unit recovered the bodies of Lt Roos and Sgt Stacey, and also the wreck. We later found the 14.5mm on the target, in pieces after taking a hit from one of the Ratel 90s. They played a key role in this attack, but paid the ultimate price. Rest in peace... H
Dedications 1
Cliffy, I hardly knew you but for some reason you chose to cry on my shoulder the night before you died. Whoever reads this, he loved his wife and new-born baby and just wanted to go home. May he rest in peace.