Identity
Person No.
33895
Old ROH no.
1676
Service No.
78431004BG
Last Name
First Name
Barend Jacobus
Initials
B J
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
Age at Death
19
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
KIA 14,778
Killed in action
Cause of Death
Killed in action. Whilst on patrol the Lt sent out a section (1 Ratel) to follow a couple a tracks that the tracker had picked up. The Ratel hit an ambush just after 10am. By the time backup had formed up and went to their aid a group of soldiers had been killed
Military Service
Location
Country
Locality
Cemetery
Grave Reference
Coordinates
Unit History
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
Son of Mr. B. J. Wolfaardt, of Landsdowne, Cape Town.
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
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), page 49 of 143: confirmed, no changes.
Stories 1
About 150 members of an elite Swapo unit code named 'Vulcan' had infiltrated the farming area around Grootfontein, Tsumeb, Otavi and Tsintsabis. Several farmers and farm workers were killed during this incursion, as were seven members of Alpha Company of 61 Mech Bn on 15 April 1982. They were Rfn B.J. Wolfaardt, M. Petersen, J.H. Potgieter, L.P. Hough, L/Cpl J.J. van der Berg, Cpl M.J. van Jaarsveld and 2Lt D. van der Westhuizen ("Oom Daan"). Whilst on patrol the Lieutenant sent out a section (one Ratel) to follow a couple of tracks that the tracker had picked up. The Ratel hit an ambush just after 10 am. By the time backup had formed up and went to their aid a group of soldiers had been killed.
Dedications 2
I will never forget that fateful day in SWA and I'll never forget you my friend. May God keep you until
Ben, the last pass-out before returning to base we hitched to Cape Town. You were worried that this would be your last visit home and you were right. May you rest in peace. We will never forget you. Piet Spreeuwenberg (Doc)