Identity
Person No.
33077
Old ROH no.
1999
Service No.
78351425BG
Last Name
First Name
Martinus Godfried
Initials
M G
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
Age at Death
19
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
KIA 14,778
Killed in action
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Rifleman
Unit
Unknown
Secondary Unit
H.Q.
Defence Force
SADF 3,839
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
Locality
Cemetery
Grave Reference
Unit History
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 Mr. and Mrs. M. G. Stapelberg.
Research notes
Col (rt) Graham du Toit Last Post 24 Aug 2026: Killed in Action while on a mopping-up sweep through Xangongo in Southern Angola after the initial assault on the town during Ops Protea. A FAPLA soldier was seen to leap up out of a trench and try to run away but he was cut down by a Ratel 20mm Machine Gun. The sweep team was informed that there were more hidden enemy trenches and Stapelberg saw the first one. As he turned around to warn the other members of the team, he was shot dead by a FAPLA soldier with an AK-47 Assault Rifle.
Citations
Unknown
External References
-
Bushwar Books - Lest We Forget
open source ↗
24 Aug post, confirms Graham (spells first name "Godfrey" vs this record's "Godfried" -- not changed)
-
Col (rt) Graham du Toit Last Post
24 Aug 2026 post
-
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 46-47 of 143: confirmed, no changes.
Stories
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Dedications
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