Keith Robert Coster | |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 April 1920 Eshowe, Natal, Union of South Africa |
| Died | 5 June 2012 (aged 92) |
| Allegiance |  South Africa Rhodesia |
| Service |  South African Army Rhodesian Army |
| Years of service | 1937–1985 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Awards |     |
| Spouse(s) |
Molly Stanley
(m. 1941, died)Millie Aherin (m. 1995) |
Lieutenant General Keith Robert Coster ID OBE SSAS ESM (19 April 1920 – 5 June 2012) was a South African army officer who rose to command the Rhodesian Army from 1968 to 1972.
Coster was born on 19 April 1920 in Eshowe, Natal, Union of South Africa.[1] He was educated at Maritzburg College,[2] in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. After his matriculation at the school in 1936, he enlisted in the Special Service Battalion of the Union Defence Force (UDF) (of South Africa), and was commissioned into the South African Air Force (SAAF) on 6 September 1939. While flying a Mohawk V with 5 Squadron SAAF, he was shot down over North Africa by a Luftwaffe fighter plane, a Bf 109, on 11 July 1942 and was a prisoner of war [3] until 4 May 1945.[4] He was sent to Stalag Luft 111 in 1942 where he was reunited with his old friend Roger Bushell (Big X) just before the camp was liberated in 1945 he helped his neighbour in the next bed Paul Brickhill to successfully hide his manuscript of The Great Escape by wrapping it round his forearm and covering it with plaster of paris.
- ^ "Mary Coster Search". myheritage.com. Retrieved 2 February 2023.[better source needed]
- ^ "Military old boys". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ^ Heymans, Hennie (25 July 2017). "Part II: Shot Down and POW in Italy". Nongqai Vol 8 No 8. Vol. 8. p. 51. Retrieved 2 February 2023 – via Issuu.
{{cite book}}:|journal=ignored (help) - ^ "Lt Gen K.R. Coster: A Life in Uniform". The Rhodesian Soldier. Retrieved 20 July 2021.