MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
News Release (111/2007) issued by The Government News Network on 1
June 2007
4 June
* With 2 Para now established in the Fitzroy/Bluff Cove area it
was becoming more and more imperative to bring the rest of 5
Brigade and its logistic support forward as quickly as possible.
Initially the plan was to march the Welsh Guards to Goose Green
and move from there by sea, but progress was slow and cumbersome
due to the amount of equipment that had to be carried over
difficult terrain. The Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel J F
Rickett, decided to turn back as at a rate of 1km an hour the
march was becoming ill advised.
5 June
* Two Guards Battalions start to embark in HMS Intrepid. After
the Scots Guards were on board, the embarkation of the Welsh
Guards was stopped and reversed.
* In a signal sent by Major General Sir Jeremy Moore - the
commander of the British Land Forces during the Falklands conflict
- a new plan was initiated. This would take the form of a complex
series of moves that would see the Scots Guards get to the area of
Lively Island in HMS Intrepid from where they would be moved in
four Landing Craft Utility (LCUs) to Bluff Cove, while Intrepid
would return to San Carlos before first light. A similar operation
would be repeated for the bulk of the Welsh Guards overnight on 6
June, while the remainder of those to be moved would be taken in
stages to Darwin where they would eventually embark in Merchant
Vessel (MV) Monsunen.
* Scots Guards embark for Fitzroy in HMS Intrepid
6 June
* Welsh Guards embark for Fitzroy in Landing Ship Logistic (LSL)
Sir Galahad and Sir Tristram.
* Four LCUs leave HMS Intrepid each carrying 150 troops of the
Scots Guards with equipment and some Land Rovers. Initially the
weather was moderate, but soon deteriorated into gale force winds
and heavy seas.
* Seven hours later, soaking wet but with morale unimpaired,
Scots Guards land at Fitzroy where 5 Brigade forward base is established.
7 June
* UN Secretary General announces peace plan.
* MV Monsunen brings D Company 1/7 Gurkha Rifles and some of 2
Para to Fitzroy while helicopters ferry supplies from San Carlos.
* Sir Tristram arrives in darkness, loaded with stores and
ammunition from San Carlos and an Amphibious Beach Unit for unloading.
* Orders arrive for the Captain of Sir Galahad to deliver the two
companies of Welsh Guards to Port Pleasant by 0700 on 8 June.
8 June
* Sir Galahad and Sir Tristram anchor off Fitzroy in Port
Pleasant, the closest an LSL can get to Bluff Cove.
* The decision to move 5 Brigade troops by sea was made to save a
gruelling trek across the mountains and unforgiving terrain, which
would have seriously delayed support reaching 3 Commando Brigade
who were already forward.
* Whilst unloading Welsh Guards in Port Pleasant, Sir Tristram is
attacked by Grupo 5 A-4B Skyhawks and was struck by two bombs
which failed to explode resulting in small fires and damage to the
aft end with a loss of two of the RFA Hong Kong Chinese crew.
* Sir Galahad is also bombed in the same attack and is hit by
three bombs on the starboard side. Not all exploded, but they did
cause fires which very quickly got out of control causing thick
black smoke and ammunition to be set off which severely damaged
the ship and resulted in the loss of 47 lives, most of whom were
Welsh Guards. It was clear from the outset that there was little
to be done except abandon ship.
Helicopters that had been moving equipment abandoned their
operations to come to the rescue of survivors, some of whom had
jumped into the sea to escape the flames. Many of the injured
suffered burns as the speed of the attack meant the crew had no
time to put on protective masks. Both helicopters and lifeboats
were used to get men ashore and a liferaft was inverted to be used
as a landing cushion for when the men jumped overboard to escape
the rapidly-spreading flames.
Three Sea Kings and one Wessex helicopter winched men to safety
as they hovered feet above the burning ship, with minimal
visibility because of thick smoke and ammunition constantly
exploding. The commanding officer of the Welsh Guards later
described the bravery of the pilots as 'magnificent to behold'.
16 Field Ambulance, who were on board, stayed to treat the
injured. An Advanced Dressing Station (ADS) was set up ashore
dealing with 135 casualties in the space of three hours.
Medical staff waited on the cliff tops and on the hospital ships
for helicopters to bring the injured to them.
Sally Simmons was a 24 year old Royal Navy nurse when she went to
the Falklands and was based on Uganda in the burns unit. She
remembers clearly a frantic two hour period when there were 50
admissions and says that she has never known anything like it
before or since. Sally left the Royal Navy to marry a soldier (who
is currently in Iraq), and took a commission in the Army with the
QARANC when her son was three. She left as a Major eight and a
half years later to train to be a doctor and qualifies this month.
Sally lives in Bulford, Wiltshire.
Andy Jones was 19 when he was in the Falklands onboard Sir
Galahad. He couldn't speak about it for 20 years but is now
the South Atlantic Medal Association (SAMA) representative for
Wales and is involved in arranging pilgrimages to the Falklands
for veterans from the conflict. Andy was treated for burns to his face.
John Jones joined the Welsh Guards in 1974 and served for 8
years. He was a Sergeant in Mortar (Heavy weapons) platoon serving
throughout the conflict as Mortar Fire Controller to Number 2
Company 1 Welsh Guards. Most of his Platoon was killed in Sir
Galahad at Fitzroy. John was badly injured, losing his legs a
couple of weeks after the surrender. He is a member of the SAMA
and took 200 Pilgrims down to the islands in November 2006.
* Landing Craft Utility F4 sunk by Argentine Skyhawk in Choiseul
Sound with the loss of six lives.
* HMS Plymouth is hit by four bombs, none exploded, but
considerable damage caused.
* Three Argentine Skyhawks shot down.
* Major General Moore finalises plans for attacks.
9 June
* Two companies of 40 Commando were released to come under the
command of 1 Welsh Guards.
* 5 Brigade now fully deployed forward at Fitzroy and Bluff Cove.
* The Welsh Guards and 2 Para ordered to come under 3 Commando
Brigade's command.
10 June
* One Gurkha Company moved forward from Bluff Cove close to Mount
Challenger to establish a base from which to carry out aggressive
patrolling against Mount William.
* The remaining Gurkhas moved forward from Lafonia carrying
mortars and anti-tank weapons over rough ground, to a new
defensive position forward of 1 Welsh Guards in the Fitzroy area.
Roll of honour:
ARMY
LCPL SJ COCKTON Army Air Corps 656 Sqn
SSGT CA
GRIFFIN Army Air Corps 656 Sqn
CAPT ML FORGE Royal Signals 11
Signal Regiment
SSGT JI BAKER Royal Signals 5 Infantry Bde HQ
& Signal Sqn
LCPL AR STREATFIELD Royal Electrical and
Mechanical Engineers
2LT GJ HAMILTON Green Howards
RFA SIR GALAHAD
1 Battalion Welsh Guards
LCPL A BURKE
GDSM B
JASPER
GDSM G HUGHES
GDSM DN HUGHES
GDSM GM
GRIFFITHS
GDSM P GREEN
GDSM M GIBBY
SGT CN
ELLEY
GDSM P EDWARDS
GDSM MJ DUNPHY
GDSM IA
DALE
GDSM MJ MARKS
GDSM GC GRACE
LSGT JR
CARLYLE
GDSM DR WILLIAMS
SGT M WIGLEY
GDSM JF
WEAVER
GDSM A WALKER
GDSM RG THOMAS
GDSM A
KEEBLE
GDSM GK THOMAS
LSGT K KEOGHANE
LCPL PA
SWEET
GDSM NA ROWBERRY
GDSM GW POOLE
GDSM EJ
PHILLIPS
GDEM CC PARSONS
DSDM GD NICHOLSON
LCPL SJ
NEWBURY
GDSM C MORDECAI
GDSM ND THOMAS
LCPL C WARD
Army Catering Corps
PTE AM CONNETT
PTE MA JONES
PTE
RW MIDDLEWICK
PTE BC BULLERS
16 Field Ambulance
MAJ R NUTBEAM RMAC
LCPL IR FARRELL
RAMC
PTE K PRESTON RAMC
Royal Engineers
Cfn MW ROLLINS REME
SPR WD TARBARD 9
Para
CPL AG McILVENNY 20 Fd Sqn
Royal Fleet Auxiliary
2 Engineer Officer PA HENRY
Posthumously awarded George Medal
3 Engineer Officer CF
HAILWOOD
3 Engineer Officer AJ MORRIS
Electrical Fitter
Chen LEUNG
Butcher Sung Yuk FAI
RFA SIR TRISTRAM
Royal Fleet Auxiliary
Bosun Yu Sik
CHEE
Seaman Yeung Shui KAM
SS UGANDA
MNE1 PD CALLAN 45 Commando - injuries sustained at
Ajax Bay
HMS FEARLESS
Royal Marines- landing craft hit
SGT RJ
ROTHERAM
MNE1 RUNDLE
CSGT BR JOHNSTON
MNE1 RD
GRIFFIN
ALMEM D MILLER
CPOMEA AS JAMES
NOTE TO EDITORS:
Imagery is available from the Imperial War Museum website and
from http://www.mod.uk/defenceinternet/defencenews.
The majority of historical details for this diary are taken from
'The Official History of the Falklands Campaign' by Sir
Lawrence Freedman, Professor of War Studies at King's
College, London.
Please note that 'Falklands Conflict This Week 1982',
is not designed to replicate official histories, it is purely
representative of some of the key events that took place during
the Falklands Campaign. It would prove impossible to include the
detail of all that occurred during one week, in one press release.
Further information on the 25th Anniversary of the Falklands
Conflict is available from the online Falklands 25 Media Centre,
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/Falklands25MediaCentre.htm.
The Media Centre includes information on sourcing veterans, images
and visiting the Falkland Islands.