Identity
Person No.
29477
Old ROH no.
105
Service No.
72285414BA
Last Name
First Name
Trevor Donald
Initials
T D
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
Age at Death
19
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
MVA 2,660
Motor vehicle accident
Cause of Death
Died in a Military Vehicle Accident. While on route along the Chitado road to set up an ambush, he was standing in the turret of the armoured car when it overturned on the dusty road. He was crushed under the vehicle
Military Service
Location
Country
Locality
Cemetery
Grave Reference
Unit History
Role at time of death
Armour (Armoured Car)
Status
Permanent Force (Regular)
Part of
Part of
Re-established 1 October 1973 out of C Squadron 1 SSB, itself formed as C Squadron of 2 Armoured Car Regiment in February 1962 and renamed 22 December 1966. Regimental HQ and C Squadron at Zeerust; D Squadron detached to 2 SAI at Walvis Bay. Squadrons served in Namibia and Angola from 1974: B, C and D Squadrons on Operation Savannah, 8 October 1975 to 31 January 1976, and later Operations Protea, Daisy, Hooper and Modular. On 25 January 1988 it became the first unit in South Africa granted the Right of Free Admission to a coloured community, Henryville. Most of the men on this roll who point at 2 SSB belong to this period. Also took part in Operation Adding on 10 February 1988, the intervention restoring the Bophuthatswana government after the coup attempt against President Mangope. Equipped with the Ratel IFV and, from May 1990, the Rooikat; received national colours 30 June 1990.
Notes
Son of Mr. M. E. Bodill, of Durban. Attended Glenwood Boys High School in Durban
Research notes
26 Aug 2026: Unit leftover "53 Battalion" → 2 Special Service Battalion (SAWGP Unit).
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".
8 Oct 2026: Confirmed by John's compiled list of verified 2 SSB vehicle-related deaths, 8 Oct 2026. Matches this record exactly.
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 85-87 of 143: confirmed, no changes.
Stories 3
Trevor Donald Bodill [born 21/12/1956] attended Glenwood High School , Durban from 1969-1974 . He was killed on 16/1/1976 in the operational area in an accident while travelling in an armoured car . He was 19 years of age . Unknown
Trevor Bodill belonged to the "Natal" Bodill family. All the Bodill's in South Africa are related. The first Bodill's William arrived in 1860 at Port Elizabeth. Trevor Bodill is decendants are from the Families who lived in Grahamstown and Fort Beaufort Unknown
Extract from Glenwood's "Roll of Honour" Trevor Donald Bodill Rank : TROOPER Unit : S.S.B. Where Wounded/Killed/Died : Operation Savannah, Southern Angola Where Buried/Commemorated : To be confirmed Cause of Death : Armoured car accident Date of Death : 16/01/1976 Age : 19 Dates at Glenwood : 1969-74 Donna
Dedications 1
I was at Glenwood Boys High School with Trevor. I went to the parachute regiment in 1973, Trevor was still at school. I will always remember him as a vital, talented and energetic human being. I was shocked to hear of his death, and now, at the age of 46- am angry to think that Trevor deserved the right to live...I'm sure he would have done much had he been given the chance, and not been a pawn in a senseless war ...like we all were! I missed him and often thought about him.