The Rhodesia General Service Medal, with Silver Pick Commendation, awarded to Captain J. A. Q. Vos, 2nd Battalion, Rhodesian African Rifles - who initially commanded 1 Platoon, ‘A’ Company, under Major André Dennison, and whom after countless successful contacts with enemy ‘terrorists’ went on to be Dennison’s Second-in-Command - under the call-sign ‘Sunray Minor’

Rhodesia, General Service Medal, with Silver Pick Commendation on riband (Lt. J. A. Q. Vos) mounted as worn, edge nicks, nearly very fine £300-£400

Jean Vos joined the newly-raised 2nd Battalion, Rhodesian African Rifles, 1 October 1975, and was appointed Officer Commanding of 1 Platoon, ‘A’ Company. Major André Dennison (ex S.A.S.) commanded ‘A’ Company, which comprised of three platoons or ‘call-signs’ formed at Methuen Barracks, Bulawayo.

The war against guerilla incursions by the communist-backed Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) and the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA), operating from bases in Mozambique, Zambia, and Botswana, was three years’ old, and was far from being a conflict between blacks and whites. Black volunteers accounted for about 80% of the Rhodesian Government Security Forces, and 2 RAR was a black battalion officered by whites. Generally the night belonged to the guerillas. During the day the Rhodesian forces usually had the upper hand, especially after the organisation of Fire Force units, air-mobile troops, which could be alerted by ground patrols and swiftly deployed to cut off and wipe out specific terrorist gangs. It was as a Fire Force commander between September 1976 and June 1979 that Dennison was to excel. The potency of Dennison’s Fire Force, which initially consisted of a command helicopter, the ‘K-Car’, and three others, ‘G-Cars’, carrying sticks of four men each, supported by a fixed wing ground attack aircraft carrying napalm or the dreaded ‘Golf bomb’, was increased after March 1977 with the addition of a Dakota, or ‘Paradak’, carrying, in ‘A’ Company’s case, sixteen African paratroopers who specialised in jumping into the battle zone from dangerously low altitudes. Many of the Dakotas dated from the Second World War, and when Dennison parachuted, which seemingly he did at every opportunity, he liked to be the first man into action. Vos, who was later to become Dennison’s Second in Command, is mentioned throughout The War Diaries of André Dennison by J. R. T. Wood, and as taking part in numerous contacts in the book Masoda, by A. Binda.

On 18 March, during ‘A’ Company’s second deployment (17 March - 20 April 1976), Vos’s men accounted for ‘A’ Company’s ‘1st Kills’ during the deployment. Dennison describes the contact which took place in the south east operational area, ‘Thrasher’, thus:

‘The Company deployed to Chikwedzira Dip, a District Commissioner’s rest camp in eastern Matibi 2, and before we had even taken over from ‘B’ Company, 1 Platoon had to take over a follow-up from elements of our old friends 5 Indep Company.

Within ten minutes of arriving by helicopter in the Naivaswa Camp area, Gona-re-Zhou [game reserve], Lt. Vos had a contact with seven CTs. No blood was shed on either side and a day long follow up ensued.

In the late afternoon (18 March) 1 Platoon contacted four terrorists, killing two.

Major Dennison was in the K-Car (pilot Baldy Baldwin) and the [helicopter] gunner failed to score on the two CTs who broke and ran. They had better luck and managed [when firing back] to sever the fuel line of one of the G-Cars with a lucky shot. The helicopter crash-landed and was a total write-off but the pilot and tech escaped with comparatively minor injuries.’

Vos was posted to the 81mm Mortar Platoon in May 1976, despite this he was still on hand if required by Dennison. This was very much the case during ‘A’ Company’s sixth deployment (23 September - 4 November 1976), as Dennison relates:

‘On 13 October we were recalled to Buffalo Range [the airfield at Chiredzi] to take over Fire Force. 3 Platoon were deployed into the Humani Ranch area and the other two platoons provided three first wave sticks [i.e. the first troops to be transported into each action by the helicopters] and six follow-up sticks [or second wave].

On 14 October a member of the Selous Scouts on leave reported to Zaka police station that fourteen CTs were feeding at his kraal on the Chiredzi River, eight kilometres south of Zaka.

The first wave flew into Zaka by helicopter and the other sticks were lifted in by Dakota.

With the African Selous Scout as guide the choppers flew in but unfortunately over-shot the target, giving the CTs a few minutes warning.

A tracker stick led by Lt. Jean Vos, on loan for the occasion, was put down and almost immediately came under heavy close range fire from a group of CTs in the river bed. Sgt. Muardi shot and killed one and the stick went to ground as the others were deployed.

For the next four hours the contact ground on. Two CTs broke across the river and were engaged and missed by the K-Car, and others had obviously broken east away from the river before contact began. The early sticks were mortared in the initial stages, and the angle of entry of an unexploded bomb indicated quite clearly that it was fired from way outside the contact area.’

At the end of October, Vos commanded four 81 mm mortar crews during Operation Mardon - a concerted attack on ZANLA camps in Mozambique. Vos returned to the command of 1 Platoon and was rewarded for his services in this position with a Commendation during ‘A’ Company’s twelfth deployment in September 1977. He advanced to Second-in-Command of ‘A’ Company in March 1978, and was promoted Captain in August the same year.

During ‘A’ Company’s nineteenth deployment (5 September - 17 October 1978), ‘Captain Vos took the K-Car and Major Dennison went with Vulture One. The K-Car gunner did some good work, immobilising, but not killing three CTs, and the sweep killed them and a further three.’ (bid)

Sold with a copy of The War Diaries of André Dennison, by J. R. T. Wood, in which Vos is pictured.