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Van Der Nest , Cornelis Frederik (C F)

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Photo of Van Der Nest
Identity
Person No.
33476
Old ROH no.
1565
Service No.
74445370BG
Last Name
Van Der Nest 2
First Name
Cornelis Frederik
Initials
C F
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
1959 (±1 yr) 444
Age at Death
19
Death Record
Date of Death
12 August 1978 95
Cause code
KIA 14,778
Killed in action
Cause of Death
Killed in action 14,654
Killed in action, contact with the enemy, in Ovamboland
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Rifleman
Regiment
1 Parachute Battalion 43
Corps
South African Infantry Corps 10,347
Unit
Unknown
Defence Force
SADF 3,852
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
South Africa 23,872
Locality
KwaZulu-Natal 1,589
Cemetery
PONGOLA CEMETERY 7
Grave Reference
A1 1
Memorial
1978 SAA (Castle–Havenga, Mennigke–Wolfgang)
Names on 1978 SAA Castle-Wolfgang
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
1978 SAA Castle-Wolfgang
On the panel
1978 Army. Right column. 37th name from the top (Van Der Nest C.F.)
Unit History
Role at time of death
Airborne light infantry (paratroops)
Status
Regular Force
Part of
44 Parachute Brigade
Raised 1 April 1961 at Tempe. First battalion of 44 Parachute Brigade from 1978.
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. van der Nest, of Pongola.

Research notes

SADF Wall of Remembrance (Voortrekker Monument): named on photograph "1978 SAA (Castle–Havenga, Mennigke–Wolfgang)". 1978 Army. Right column. 37th name from the top (Van Der Nest C.F.). MERGE 25 Aug 2026: PersonNumber 48689 ("Van der Nest") deleted as a duplicate of this record -- identical ServiceNo (74445370BG) and DateDeath (1978-08-12), surname a spelling/OCR/case variant, confirmed via the pantser.cmvo.org.za SADF deaths PDF cross-check. Same class of error as the Sekonjela/Sekonyela merge earlier the same day.
Dave Harris, ROH email 9 May 2016: formally requested his own 2008 dedication (which named a specific cause of death phrase he felt was 'taken out of context' and open to misuse) be replaced across all three men's pages with neutral wording -- 'killed in action by enemy fire ... He paid the sacrifice in the same contact together with' -- applied to Dedications for Du Bois, Greyling and Van der Nest, 12 Aug 1978, Angola.
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 3
on 11 December 2008 · via source
Corrie vd Nest . Pierre was walking at almost point when he took the shots. He was a jovial, strong man, with exceptional vasbyt! "Come and stand by your glass and be ready, here is a toast to the men of the skies, here is a toast to the one dead already and a toast to the next one to die..." Dave
on 11 December 2008 · via source
Corrie vd Nest . A mortar bomb detonated between him and Corrie killing both. Hannes was up and out of cover lifting the radio from his back so that he could call for a strike when he took the hit. He was a quiet decent man, with exceptional vasbyt! "come and stand by your glass and be ready, here is a toast to the men of the skies, here is a toast to the one dead already and a toast to the next one to die..." Dave
on 25 September 2010 · via source
I remember this as if it was yesterday. I was a medic, 19 years old, at the Ondangwa Air Base that day, and we tried so hard ...
Dedications 4
on 18 September 2003 · via source
Paratrooper's Prayer Heavenly Father, King of the world I know that all things are in your hands, whatever happens to me. As a paratrooper I am prepared to suffer hardship. I am ready to endure danger and unrest, pain and hurt. I am willing to be hungry end thirsty. I am prepared to face the enemy fearlessly. Lord I am weak. I cannot depend on my own strength. I do not want to trust in my own abilities. Lord my God; Let me trust in you alone. Give me courage and strength, and, above all, faith to do my work
on 17 August 2004 · via source
Rus in vrede my liewe broer. Jy is so jonk weggeneem. Ek sal altyd wonder wat die lewe vir jou sou inhou. Wat sou jy doen vir 'n lewe? Sou jy kinders hè? Ons almal mis jou so onsettend veel.... Gerhard van der Nest (Broer)
on 23 November 2008 · via source
geagte meneer ek is die klein dogter van gert booysen. as jy hom geken het laat my asseblief weet violer glendenning (my vader is hennie booysen
on 17 August 2026 · via source
Corrie was killed in action by enemy fire in SWA, on 12 August 1978, whilst in hot pursuit of a terrorist group of about 45 men strong. He paid the sacrifice in the same contact together with two other paratroopers, Pierre Du Bois and Hannes Greyling