Identity
Person No.
41481
Service No.
81512626
Last Name
First Name
Peter Joseph
Initials
P J
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
Age at Death
20
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
SUIC 382
Suicide
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Rifleman
Regiment
5 Reconnaissance Regiment 72
Later renamed
5 Special Forces Regiment
(1995)
Unit
Unknown
Secondary Unit
"B" Squadron
Defence Force
SADF 3,821
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
Locality
Grave Reference
Memorial
Memorial
Location
On a koppie at the Voortrekker Monument, overlooking Pretoria
Address
Coordinates
Panel
Not listed against a numbered panel
On the panel
Position on the panel will be added with photographs
Unit History
Role at time of death
Special Forces (reconnaissance)
Status
Regular Force
Each numbered Reconnaissance unit was renamed over time: "X Reconnaissance Commando" -> "X Reconnaissance Regiment" (1981) -> briefly a Parachute Battalion designation (1992/93, under "45 Parachute Brigade", a Special-Forces-only designation distinct from the real 44 Parachute Brigade) -> "X Special Forces Regiment" (1995). The parent formation itself changed name several times before 1995 (Special Forces Headquarters, then Directorate Reconnaissance(Forces)) with disputed exact dates between sources -- 1995 is the one date sources agree on. Corps classified as SAIC (South African Infantry Corps) per this site's own records; no independent source found confirms that for Special Forces units specifically -- treat as owner-asserted pending a better citation.
Notes
Born in Salisbury, Rhodesia.
Research notes
26 Aug 2026: Unit was leftover "Air Force Gymnasium". SAWGP Regiment 5 Reconnaissance Regiment with no separate unit.
Citations
***Accepted by CWGC for War Grave Status & burial site under investigation
External References
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Dedications
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