Delville Linford, born in Potchefstroom on 23 July 1930, matriculated in 1948 and joined the Active Citizen Force. A few years later

he enrolled at he Army Gymnasium. In 1953 he attended the Army College as a trainer instructor and gained first place, then converted to the artillery and two years later was one of the first students to attend the Military Academy at Stellenbosch. He graduated B Mil in 1957, became a gunnery instructor at the School of Artillery at Potchefstroom, then became the Officer Commanding 3 Battery. From 1964-65 he attended a gunnery staff course in England, then in 1966 presented the course in South Africa. He became an instructor at the Army Staff College, when the young major’s outspokenness soon had him transferred as far from Pretoria as possible, to the castle at Cape Town.

Promoted to Commandant in 1971, he was transferred to Port Elizabeth as a training officer. In 1972 he wrote he army’s war manual. In 1973 he was appointed senior South African liaison officer to a Portuguese sector commander at Serpa Pinto, Angola.

He was recalled to Army Headquarters at Pretoria in July 1974. The next month the then Director of Operations, Brigadier Constand Viljoen, approached him to serve in the West Caprivi under Major-General Fritz Loots, where he started training the Bushmen Flechas and grouped them in a battalion-strength unit based at Omega, called Alpha Group in November 1974, which he led through Operation Savannah as part of Battle Group Alpha. This group went on to become 31 Battalion later and eventually 201 Battalion in 1980, as part of the South West African Territory Force (SWATF).

in 1977 he founded 41 Battalion and served as Commanding officer until it was renamed to 911 Battalion and incorporated into the newly formed 91 SWA Brigade as part of the SWATF. He was promoted to Colonel and served as Officer Commanding 91 Brigade until his retirement