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Coker , Hylton Dudley (H D)

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Photo of Coker
Identity
Person No.
29814
Old ROH no.
241
Service No.
66458696N
Last Name
Coker 3
First Name
Hylton Dudley
Initials
H D
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
1951 (±1 yr) 253
Age at Death
19
Death Record
Date of Death
13 September 1970 120
Cause code
MVA 2,660
Motor vehicle accident
Cause of Death
Died in motor vehicle accident 1,764
Died in Military Vehicle Accident, while being transported in a Gladiator Troop Carrier back to Ladysmith Army Camp. Their vehicle was involved in a head-on collision with a Newspaper Delivery Van between Colesburg and Philippolis and the vehicle immediately burst into flames with the men still trapped inside and unable to escape
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Rifleman
Regiment
3 South African Infantry Battalion 70
Corps
South African Infantry Corps 10,347
Unit
Unknown
Defence Force
SADF 3,874
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
South Africa 23,879
Locality
KwaZulu-Natal 1,589
Cemetery
DURBAN (STELLAWOOD) CEMETERY 408
Grave Reference
Cremated - Ashes in family grave Durban Stellawood Cemetery 1
Coordinates
-29.88587, 30.97733 OSM
Unit History
Part of
Training Formation
Notes

Son of Mr. S. H. Coker, of Durban.

Research notes


Col (rt) Graham du Toit Last Post 13 Sep 2026 / Bushwar Books Lest We Forget 13 September (https://www.warbooks.co.za/posts/lest-we-forget-13-september/ 66458696N Rifleman Hilton Dudley Coker, 3 SAI, Gladiator Troop Carrier head-on with newspaper delivery van between Colesburg and Philippolis, age 19. SN/unit/age/cause already matched. Graham+Bushwar spell "Hilton"; stored "Hylton" left (SAWGP-style spelling).
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
by Shaun Hammond Shaun Hammond on 30 May 2001 · via source
Shaun Hammond (SHammond@tu.gov.ab.ca) Date sent: Fri, 13 Aug 1999 10:27:25 -0600 John 241: Rfn H.D. Coker. I went to school with Dudley Coker. Quiet reliable guy, a decent man. He did his NS at the same time I did; I believe he was with 3SAI (Grahamstown?). Dudley was killed as a result of a motor vehicle accident involving his section being transported in (as I recall) one of those miserable Gladiators. There was a bad crash and fire, with the troops trapped in the rear. The word spread quickly around the SAI Battalions about the incident, leaving all of us with a sick feeling about the losses. RIP.
on 17 August 2026 · via source
13 Sep 1970: Six members from 5 SAI and one member from 3 SAI were killed while being transported in a Gladiator Troop Carrier back to Ladysmith Army Camp. Their vehicle was involved in a head-on collision with a Newspaper Delivery Van between Colesburg and Philippolis and the vehicle immediately burst into flames with the men still trapped inside. The casualties were:
on 17 August 2026 · via source
66458696N Rifleman Hilton Dudley Coker (3 SAI). He was 19.
Dedications 1
by Shaun Hammond on 30 May 2001 · via source
RIP.