Identity
Person No.
33867
Old ROH no.
1663
Service No.
74764077BA
Last Name
First Name
Mark Anthony
Initials
M A
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
Age at Death
20
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
KIA 14,778
Killed in action
Cause of Death
Killed in action, buffel he was traveling in detonated a "cheese mine"
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Corporal
Regiment
Secondary Unit
"A" Coy.
Defence Force
SADF 3,843
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
Locality
Cemetery
Grave Reference
Coordinates
Memorial
Memorial
Location
On a koppie at the Voortrekker Monument, overlooking Pretoria
Address
Coordinates
Panel
On the panel
1977 Army. Right column. 8th name from the top (Wilcox M.A.)
Unit History
Role at time of death
Infantry (area defence)
Status
Commando (Area Bound Reserve)
Part of
SADF Commando System
category
Generic Regiment-field text used across hundreds of records whose actual unit is a specific local Commando (e.g. Rustenburg Commando, Boksburg Commando -- captured in Unit). Post-WWII, "Commando" is its own force-component category alongside Regular/Permanent Force and Active Citizen Force -- area-bound, part-time reserve units tied to a specific district, mobilised for local counter-insurgency/area protection duties during the Border War era. Not a single regiment; this Status applies to the whole category.
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
***May have been attached to Rhodesia Army at time of death
Research notes
SADF Wall of Remembrance (Voortrekker Monument): named on photograph "1977 SAA (Kruger–Maquinda, Walker–Wilters) to 1978 SAA (Amorim–Cassamano, Hunter–Mandunga)". 1977 Army. Right column. 8th name from the top (Wilcox M.A.).
Citations
Unknown
External References
-
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 29-32 of 143: confirmed, no changes.
-
The War in Angola
open source ↗
War in Angola Member Dedications forum (www.warinangola.com), Excel export supplied by Johan Schoeman, 1 Sep 2026. Forum post(s): 38030.
Stories 2
Mark was a corporal in 11 Commando (Kimberley). He was an old boy from Queens College in Queenstown and was killed on 12 Dec 1977 when the vehicle he was travelling on detonated a "cheese mine". Mark was killed as a result of injuries sustained when the Buffel he was in rolled after the mine(s) detonated. It happened on 'Oom Willie se pad' Unknown
MY NAME IS CHRIS J LOTTER. I WAS THE OPS MEDIC AT THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT. HE WAS STILL ALIVE WHEN WE ARRIVED BY CHOPPER. A CASPER FROM THE KOEVOET UNIT DETONATED A CHEESE MINE THE PREVIOUS DAY. SWAPO THEN PLANTED ANOTHER MINE NEXT TO THE PREVIOUS CRATER ON OOM WILLIE SE PAD. I DO BELIEVE THAT THE NEW BUFFALO VEHICLES WERE ON THE WAY FROM KIMBERLEY TO NKONGO AND THE 3RD BUFFALO CARRYING WILCOX AND BUYS DETONATED THE MINE. THEY MUST HAVE TRAVEL AT SOME SPEED BECAUSE THE DISTANCE THAT THE BAFFALO WAS AIRBORNE WAS A LONG WAY. NEITHER WILCOX OR BUYS WERE WEARING THEIR SAFETY BELTS. THE BUFFALO HIT THE ROAD NOSE FIRST AND ROLLED SEVER TIMES. BUYS WAS KILLED INSTANTLY FROM SEVERE HEAD INJURIES CAUSED BY THE ROLL BAR. WILCOX LANDED UNDER NEATH THE ROLL BAR WHICH CRUSHED HIS RIBS CAUSING PUNCTURED LUNGS. WHEN DOC RICK MORRISON AND MYSELF ATTENDED TO HIM HE WAS STILL ALIVE BUT COULD HARDLY BREATH. HE PASSED AWAY MINUTES AFTER ARRIVAL IN THE CHOPPER. DOC TRIED HIS BEST TO REVIVE WILCOX EVEN WITH INJECTIONS BUT WE WERE TO LATE. I DID NOT KNEW HIM PERSONALLY BUT HAS SEEN HIM AROUND NKONGO CAMP WITH 11 COMMANDO KIMBERLEY AND THE SPEG MAGTE BEREDE GUYS. THE MINE WAS ON OOM WILLIE SE PAD ABOUT 15KM FROM NKONGO. RIP BROTHER IN ARMS.
Dedications 1
See [Landmine blast kills 2 - Cape Times 28 November 1977]