PDF
« Previous

Thiel , Rudolph Ernst (R E)

Next »
Photo of Thiel
Identity
Person No.
33260
Old ROH no.
1417
Service No.
88630553BG
Last Name
Thiel 4
First Name
Rudolph Ernst
Initials
R E
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
1970 (±1 yr) 220
Age at Death
19
Death Record
Date of Death
02 August 1989 120
Cause code
MVA 2,637
Motor vehicle accident
Cause of Death
Died in motor vehicle accident 1,764
Died in Military Vehicle Accident. While undergoing training in the Duku-Duku Forest Training area near Mtubatuba, he was killed when the Unimog in which he was travelling rolled on a gravel road. He was flung out and the vehicle landed on top of him
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Rifleman
Regiment
1 Reconnaissance Regiment 14
Formerly 1 Reconnaissance Commando (1996)
Corps
South African Infantry Corps 10,347
Unit
1 Reconnaissance Commando 8
Later renamed 1 Reconnaissance Regiment (1996)
Defence Force
SADF 3,843
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
South Africa 23,872
Locality
Western Cape 2,137
Cemetery
STELLENBOSCH (ST. MARY'S) CHURCH CEMETERY 2
Grave Reference
Alternative Commemoration until grave found 1
Coordinates
-33.94097, 18.84296 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.
Notes

Son of Mr. and Mrs. P. G. Thiel, of Stellenbosch.

Research notes

Col (rt) Graham du Toit Last Post 02 Aug 2026: 88630553BG Rifleman Rudolph Ernst Thiel, 1 Reconnaissance Regiment, accidentally killed in the Duku-Duku Forest Training area near Mtubatuba when his Unimog overturned on a gravel road during a training exercise; he was flung out and the vehicle landed on him, age 19. Earlier listing attached him to 14 Field Regiment. Place-name corrected from Matubatuba.
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
Unknown
External References
Stories

No stories have been added yet.

Dedications

No dedications have been added yet.