I am looking for any information regarding Gert van Rooyen. He was a family member of mine. He was a South African. Attached is a picture and on the back it says Alexandria, Egypt 1941. Can his shoulder title be identified? I believe his initials were G.R. van Rooyen and he was a chaplain serving in North Africa. I am looking for information to confirm this and with who he served in the South African forces. Any help or information will be greatly appreciated! Regards JJ
Hi, "Shoulder title" on his epaulette is a Crown - probably signifying his rank of Major. Regards Steve Y
Hi JJ Have you tried obtaining his service records - I am sure there is info on another thread on here which says they are available and maybe even online. If I recall correctly I think it was some info posted by member DianaE who lives in SA TD
Hi, you could try contacting the SANDF Documentation centre. . The e-mail address is sandfdoc@mweb.co.za Tel 0123226350. They supply "record of service". This is not a full service record but does give some information to jump start your research. This service is free Cheers Diane
Thank you for the feedback. I will contact the SANDF for his service record. I did some online research and read up about the chaplains in the South African force. He had the rank of Major. And he was the first South African field chaplain in North Africa during WW2. He was also the pastor at my parents wedding in 1977! His brother was in the 1st SA Police Battalion in the 6th Infantry Brigade and became a POW during the fall of Tobruk. His father was a Boer War veteran. Regards JJ
