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Thomas , James Allan (J A)

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Photo of Thomas
Identity
Person No.
33268
Old ROH no.
34900
Service No.
82532086PE
Last Name
Thomas 69
First Name
James Allan
Initials
J A
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
1967 (±1 yr) 289
Age at Death
21
Death Record
Date of Death
29 February 1988 26
Cause code
DROW 1,204
Drowned
Cause of Death
Died in Freak Accident 255
Died in Freak Accident, accidentally drowned with two others when they got into difficulties while swimming through one of the sluices at Cuquleti near the Calueque Dam. The Lieutenant jumped into a tube with a rope tied around it in an attempt to save the other two but the rope separated and he was also sucked into the sluice and drowned. Despite an intensive search over the next few weeks, only the body of Rifleman Howse was recovered. Lieutenant Thomas and Lance Corporal Dorfling have no known grave and remain unaccounted for
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Lieutenant
Regiment
701 Battalion 17
Formerly 33 Battalion (1980)
Corps
South West African Territory Force 376
Unit
Unknown
Defence Force
SADF 3,838
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
South Africa 23,873
Locality
Gauteng 9,374
Cemetery
SADF WALL OF REMEMBRANCE, VOORTREKKER MONUMENT, PRETORIA 1,926
Grave Reference
Body not recovered 79
Memorial
Memorial
SADF Wall of Remembrance
Location
On a koppie at the Voortrekker Monument, overlooking Pretoria
Address
Voortrekker Monument, Eeufees Road, Groenkloof, Pretoria, 0181, South Africa
Coordinates
-25.77639, 28.17583 · OpenStreetMap
Panel
Not listed against a numbered panel
On the panel
Position on the panel will be added with photographs
Awards
Honoris Crux (1975)
Honoris Crux (1975) (HC)
South Africa · awarded 1988-02-29
Posthumously awarded the Honoris Crux (1975) for actions on 29 February 1988 with 701 Battalion. Lieutenant Thomas drowned attempting to rescue two others who got into difficulties swimming through a sluice at Cuquleti near Calueque Dam. His body was never recovered. Wikipedia lists Lt J.A. Thomas among Honoris Crux (1975) recipients: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honoris_Crux_(1975)
Notes

No additional information known at this time

Research notes


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

Posthumously awarded the Honoris Crux (1975) for actions on 29 February 1988 with 701 Battalion. Lieutenant Thomas drowned attempting to rescue two others who got into difficulties swimming through a sluice at Cuquleti near Calueque Dam. His body was never recovered. Wikipedia lists Lt J.A. Thomas among Honoris Crux (1975) recipients: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honoris_Crux_(1975)

External References
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