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Twaddle , John Guy (J G)

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No photograph available — remembrance poppy
Identity
Person No.
33351
Old ROH no.
1439
Service No.
73275349PK
Last Name
Twaddle 1
First Name
John Guy
Initials
J G
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
1957 (±1 yr) 431
Age at Death
25
Death Record
Date of Death
09 August 1982 103
Cause code
KIA 14,778
Killed in action
Cause of Death
Killed in action 14,654
Killed in action, shot down south-east of Cuvelai in Angola, in Aerospatiale SA3330 Puma C #132 together with 2 other members of the SAAF and 12 soldiers of 1 Parachute Battalion
Military Service
Branch
Air Force
Rank
Captain
Regiment
31 Squadron 97
Corps
South African Air Force 3,524
Unit
Unknown
Defence Force
SADF 3,839
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
South Africa 23,872
Locality
Gauteng 9,374
Cemetery
CREMATED 33
Grave Reference
Ashes scattered in the sea off Durban 1
Awards
Pro Patria Medal
Pro Patria Medal
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 Mrs. I. E. Turvey, of Northcliff, Johannesburg. ref. 85 years of SAAF

Research notes

Diedericks, André. Journey Without Boundaries: The operational life and experiences of a SA Special Forces Small Team Operator. Just Done Productions, Durban, 2007 (ISBN 978-1-920169-58-9): Lt John Twaddle commanded the lead helicopter extracting Diedericks from Operation Interrupt (1980); “later John’s helicopter was shot down during another operation and he was killed.” This 1982-08-09 Puma #132 loss (south-east of Cuvelai) is the matching ROH death. Book rank Lieutenant; this record has Captain — not overwritten.
5 Sep 2026: Unit "31 Squadron" (a squadron, SAAF's regiment-equivalent) promoted to Regiment, per John's decision. Corps (South African Air Force) unchanged.
25 Sep 2026, Unit2 service-branch sweep: the stored Secondary Unit "Air Force" 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 "Air Force".

Citations
Unknown
External References
Stories 6
on 10 July 2003 · via source
Capt John Twaddle was the pilot of a Puma helicopter that was shot down on 9 August 1982 south-east of Cuvelai. The co-pilot, Lt C W Pietersen, flight engineer Sgt C N Grobler and 12 Parabats were also killed.
by Brian Jones on 03 July 2007 · via source
John was my big buddy when I was in primary school at Leicester Road in Johannesberg. We used to stomp around the playground with arms linked chanting "we walk straight so you better get out of our way". He was heavily into war games in primary school and I remember watching the "Dambusters" at his house for a birthday party. We lost touch after primary school but I was not surprised that he became a pilot.
by Peter on 31 December 2007 · via source
Capt John Twaddle was one of the three SAAF crew members of a SA-330C Puma helicopter, # 132, transporting men from 1 Parachute Battalion, when his helicopter was shot down by enemy 23 mm AA fire south-east of Cuvelai in Angola, crashing inverted. None of the Parabats or SAAF crew survived.
by Sean Mullen on 08 September 2010 · via source
Approxemately a month after this tragedy, I was deployed with a SAM 7 team near Cuito under Mike West. Our mission: to shoot down enemy aircraft. After a few near misses on Antonovs, we eventually managed to shoot down an enemy MI8 helicopter on Angolan independence day. There was not a lot left of it after impact, but we managed to retrieve the tail plane/ stabiliser and took it back South. We labelled it JOHNS REVENGE and forwarded it to the squadron, which I beleive was in Waterkloof. RIP.
by Shane Yates on 29 July 2011 · via source
I remember the day clearly, even though it was nearly 30 years ago !! I was a Parabat, sitting in the door of a Puma next to the one that was shot down. It was terrible seeing my mates go down...knowing there was nothing we could do to assist them !! Rest in Peace ...you are never forgotten !!
on 01 June 2012 · via source
John and I dated in 1976. Met him at Flop Laats parents home in Lindbro Park on they night he and his mates celebrated receiving their pupil's license.He rescued me from nearly being drowned by all the holligans! I remember Karl Gavin Sean (with the warthog) but the other names escape me. If anyone has a photo of him I would really appreciate it. He moved to Durban and later married Nicky. Please contact me if you have any more info.John was a 1st class gentleman and friend. Karen Doedens ...oh my mate was Glynnis Henry who dated Gavin at the time. The day he left this world, was the worst day of my life. But he knew he was going to go coz the last words he said to me was that he would be back in a green plastic bag. So hectic RIP my man x Karen Long nee Doedens
Dedications 1
by Mike Glastonbury on 28 October 2003 · via source
John was a member of my pupil pilots course. He was a natural leader and an all-round good guy. It's been twenty odd years but I still remember him well.