Three Days in June, page 28
Pte Colin Charlton, D Company Guide
I think we were halfway to Wireless Ridge when someone said, ‘Red berets on, there’s white flags flying in Stanley.’ We carried on, but obviously with a great deal of caution. As we moved through Moody Brook we met up with 2 PARA Machine Guns and Mortars, I remember seeing a bloke from 2 PARA sitting on his Bergen rubbing his hands, and I asked, ‘Are you all right, mate?’, and he replied, ‘No, I’m fuckin’ freezing.’ I said, ‘Haven’t you got any gloves?’ And he answered, ‘No, I’ve lost them somewhere.’ So I said, ‘There you go, mate’ and I gave him my spare pair.
Pte Paul Bachurzewski, 19 yrs – D Company
The Ross Road was deserted. There was kit everywhere, an absolute mess. The Argentines seemed to have vanished. There were some buildings smouldering, the heavy smell of cordite – it was like what you can imagine a war zone to look like. We proceeded along the road till we reached the old war memorial not far from Government House, and then were ordered to pull back and go firm. We sat at the edge of the Ross Road and brewed up.
CSgt Steve Knights
I can remember looking up at the Governor’s house and thinking, what happened to the big battle around Government House? There was fuck all wrong with the place, not a pane of glass was broken. Shortly after this we were told to move back about 600 metres to the 39th easting line, which was back towards the racecourse. We were given a bungalow, and I organized with my platoon NCOs the weapons checks, ammunition checks. A couple of Argentine Huey helicopters landed at the back of the bungalows and surrendered.
Pte Andy (Stretch) Dunn
A haze hung over Stanley, the ‘fog of war’, the smell of cordite, burning houses, discarded clothing and weapons. We [the Anti-Tank Platoon] took over a bungalow, and we began sorting our kit out and cleaning our weapons. I remember sitting cleaning one of the Milan frames in the bathroom, scrubbing all the blood off it.
Pte Quintin (Q) Wright
We put on our maroon berets and moved off Wireless Ridge. As we moved through Moody Brook there was debris and smoke drifting from the various fires; the area had been completely devastated. We continued on along the Ross Road and we eventually arrived at the outskirts of Stanley. We’d been in town for a short while when I met LCpl Glynn Jones from the Int Cell. It was then he told me that Craig [Jonah] Jones was dead. I cannot describe in words how upset I was.
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1 It has not been possible to speak to any senior ranks of the Mortar Platoon, consequently there is very little information about the excellent job that 3 PARA Mortars did.
2 Seventeen known dead at that moment.
3 From a tape-recorded debrief in 1982 by General Sir Anthony Farrar-Hockley with Major John Patrick RA.
CHAPTER SIX
‘WHO’S WITH ME?’
A COMPANY 3 PARA
6.1 ‘It felt like only a matter of time before one would hit me’
FRIDAY 11 JUNE 1982
The Officer Commanding A Company, Major David Collett, holds his Platoon Commanders’ ‘O’ Group at approximately 16.00 hours (zt). The briefing is interrupted by artillery fire, wounding Pte Lee Fisher of D Company:
16.15hrs (zt): from C/S 1 to C/S 0: ‘Casualty report: D Company No 37, shrapnel wound to small of back, but walking, Location Call Sign 1.’
Pte Fisher is evacuated:
17.45hrs (zt): from C/S 83A to C/S 0: ‘Casualty from Call Sign 1 now back at Teal.’
Shortly after last light the battalion begin to move out at approximately 20.15hrs (zt). A Company lead, followed by the Battalion Tac HQ, then B Company. Support Company and C Company bring up the rear. Once A Company reach the Battalion Start Line they then wait for the rest of the battalion to arrive.
A Company are now in position on the Battalion Start Line:
23.46hrs (zt): from C/S 19 to C/S 9: ‘Now at Jungle Boot.’
Cpl Mark Brown, 22 yrs – D Company Guide
I attended the A Company Platoon Commander’s ‘O’ Group, and whilst the orders were being given out, a salvo of about three or four Argentine artillery rounds came in. A member of my patrol, Pte Lee Fisher, was wounded. During the orders I was told that I would have a civilian guide attached to my patrol. His name was Terry Peck; he was a Falkland Islands policeman and had local knowledge of the area. My patrol was tasked to lead A Company to the Battalion Start Line. I hadn’t been over the route that I had been instructed to take them on, due to other D Company patrol commitments, and I was advised not to mention that to Major Collett.
We moved out just after last light at approximately 20.15hrs (zt). Our civilian guide was moving too fast as he was only carrying a rifle. I said, ‘Terry, the blokes are carrying a lot of weight; you will have to slow down so we can keep everyone together.’ With that he got in a huff, and went off ahead of us. I stayed with A Company. We met up again at the Murrell River where some 9 Squadron Royal Engineers had arranged for a ladder to help the battalion to cross over the river. About two hours after we crossed the Murrell River, Terry Peck came up to me and said, ‘This is it; this is the Furze Bush Stream. It’s the Battalion Start Line.’ I thought, No, he’s wrong, but I only had him, with his local knowledge, to go by and after all he was the guide. He told me that he took children camping here in the summer, so I assumed he must know! I went back to Major Collett and told him, ‘The civilian guide says this is it, and he knows this place better than me, but I don’t think it is.’ Major Collett agreed with me and we moved off. I was thinking, I hope I’m right! Terry Peck had gone off somewhere, and I was hoping I hadn’t taken them over the Start Line early. Then Terry appeared and said, ‘Mark, you’re right, it’s over here, I was wrong.’ I thought, Thank fuck for that, you twat.’
The moon was just coming out and I said to Major Collett, ‘This is it, this is the middle of the Battalion Start Line, there’s your left and there’s your right.’ He looked at me and said, ‘Where is everyone?’ as I think Major Collett was expecting the Start Line to be marked by D Company. I said, ‘I don’t know, Sir.’
Pte Len Baines, 25 yrs – Signaller, Support Group
Once we reached the Start Line, we waited for the rest of the battalion. I was with LCpl Chris Lovett and LCpl Phil Jones. I whispered to Phil and Chris, ‘If I get killed tonight, tell my parents I didn’t suffer.’ Phil Jones whispered to me, ‘Yeah, same here, if I get killed, let my wife know I didn’t suffer either.’ Chris Lovett said, ‘Don’t be daft, we’ll all be okay.’
SATURDAY 12 JUNE 1982
B Company have started their advance towards Mount Longdon:
00.30hrs (zt): from C/S 29 to C/S 9: ‘Now across Jungle Boot.’
Almost immediately the CO orders A Company to move to their form-up area north of Wing Forward:
00.30hrs (zt): from C/S 9 to C/S 19: ‘Call Sign 1 move now.’
A Company now advance in a north-easterly direction into the Furze Bush Pass. When they reach the area of grid 332764 they will shake out into assault formation facing south.
Major Collett now informs the CO that A Company is in position, in Furze Bush Pass:
01.00hrs (zt): from C/S 19 to C/S 9: ‘Now static.’
Cpl Louie Sturge, 28 yrs – Section Commander, 2 Section, 2 Platoon
2 Platoon was forward right with 2 Section forward left, and Cpl Laurie Bland’s 1 Section were forward right with Platoon HQ in the middle, and Cpl Mick Ferguson was about 30 metres to the rear with 3 Section. We were weapons ready, bayonets fixed, grenades primed, teeth bared and arseholes twitching. We began our advance to Wing Forward. The moon was full and the area to our rear bathed in moonlight, I scanned the area but couldn’t see anyone! I thought, Christ, where the fuck is Mick Ferguson and 3 Section? I felt a mild panic starting to break out.
Pte Trevor Bradshaw, 21 yrs – 3 Section, 2 Platoon
It was a bright moonlit night, but we got to a point where we couldn’t see anyone else other than ourselves, and there was a lot of whispering while trying to identify where we were. Someone came on the radio and was obviously trying to point out features, and I remember someone saying, ‘Can you see the big feature right up towards the top?’ It turned out we were actually on it! We had gone way too far ahead and had to turn around and go back and rejoin A Company.
Approximately 40 minutes after B Company begin their advance comes the first contact report:
01.07hrs (zt): from C/S 29 to C/S 9: ‘Contact wait-out.’
As soon as the first contact is made at 01.07hrs (zt), Captain Mason of Support Company receives orders from the CO to move from his location at grid 320760. He is to take his Milan detachment (Cpl McCarthy) plus two SF teams under Lt Mike Oliver (Cpl Cook and LCpl Bramley’s detachments) along with ammunition-bearers and move as fast as possible across to Wing Forward.
Captain Tony Mason
I’m not sure if it was the CO or Major Dennison who told me to take my group and move as fast as possible around to Wing Forward, and from there we were to provide support for B Company.
Pte Craig (Tommy) Onions
We were told to make our way as fast as possible across to A Company. I found the move very hard going due to the weight of ammunition I was carrying, as it was an extremely fast pace.
Major Collett now informs the CO that although under indirect fire, they have not encountered any direct opposition:
01.25hrs (zt): from C/S 19 to C/S 9: ‘We have not encountered any opposition.’
Pte Trevor Bradshaw
It was all very quiet during this stage. Then there was an explosion to our forward right, which turned out to be Cpl Milne standing on a mine. I heard him scream. It was then we started to take incoming fire. I had only been in 3 PARA about four months and was not what you would call an experienced soldier. I was waiting for someone to say, ‘We are now taking effective enemy fire, take cover!’ and that didn’t seem to be happening. We were just walking towards this incoming fire; it was coming down all around us. I felt incredibly vulnerable. There were rounds fizzing by me and it felt like only a matter of time before one would hit me. My chin was touching my chest as I tried to crouch lower and walk at the same time.
The CO contacts Major Collett to confirm his company location as he is about to call in artillery support:
01.30hrs (zt): from C/S 9 to C/S 19: ‘Are you too far forward for us to call down artillery fire on Rum Punch?’
‘Rum Punch’ is the Argentine C Company 7th Infantry Regiment position. This area would also be later known by 2 PARA as Rough Diamond:
01.30hrs (zt): from C/S 19 to C/S 9: ‘No, we are clear.’
Cpl Louie Sturge
We started to come under fire. A couple of my blokes went to ground and I said, ‘Fucking get up and keep walking, you don’t take cover till I tell you to.’ However, I thought to myself, There’s no fucking way we’re all going to get to this mountain in one piece because the ground is too open, we’re all going to get nailed.
As A Company begin to emerge from the dead ground the enemy fire becomes more effective and Cpl Hope is wounded.
Pte Ashley Wright, 22 yrs – A Company Medic
As we began to advance towards Mount Longdon I remember illumination flares being fired overhead. We could see the silhouettes of our blokes moving forward ahead of us, and I thought, Why haven’t they gone to ground? Then we began to take a lot of incoming fire. The company advance stopped for a moment, while the flares burnt out. Once in the cover of darkness they all got up and began advancing again towards Longdon. The tracer fire was still mainly going over our heads, but as we began to get closer it was becoming more accurate.
Sgt George Duffus, 27 yrs – Anti-Tank Platoon attached to A Company
Flares went up, we stopped; then started, then stopped again. I said, ‘Fuck it! Let’s just keep moving.’ We were all moving in extended line apart from Company HQ who advanced in arrowhead formation. At one stage our group was lost and Major Collett came over the radio and said, ‘Where the fuck are you?’ He then said, ‘Look left and look right, I am going to switch my torch on.’ We saw it and that was that, we continued moving forward. The incoming fire was now getting more accurate as we were getting more exposed.
Sgt Manny Manfred
The Argentine fire began almost immediately, coming from locations all along the mountain. At this stage the fire was not effective and was going high, passing over our heads, but as we advanced it began to get more effective, until eventually we ran for the cover of a peat bank to our front. I made contact with Lt Moore of 2 Platoon. I heard his Australian accent in the darkness and I shouted, ‘Mr Moore, 1 Platoon are just over here. I’m just letting you know where we are, as I’m more afraid of you than I am of the Argies!’ I heard someone yell, ‘Fucking hell.’ Someone shouted, ‘It’s John Grant, he’s been hit.’ At first I thought he had been shot in the head, but it turned out that a bullet had hit his helmet. In fact, it looked like a chainsaw had cut a path across the top of his fibreglass helmet. I shouted to the rest of the platoon, ‘Listen in, you lot, keep your fucking heads down.’
CSM Alec Munro
We continued moving forward till we came under increasingly heavy fire. Each time an illumination popped we dropped to the ground; I could see bullet strikes kicking up the peat around us. It wasn’t an ideal position to be in. I could make out the dark outline of a peat bank to our front – we needed some form of cover and I mentioned this to Major Collett and we agreed to move forward with the HQ Group. As soon as the illumination round burnt out, we would make our move.
When the illumination expired Dave Collett gave the order to move; we ran forward to the cover of the peat bank. We continued to receive heavy fire. I noticed that Stevie Hope wasn’t with us; I sent a couple of lads back to our previous position to find him, as it was vital we had communications to the battalion and to the platoons. One of them came back and told us that he had found Cpl Hope and that he had been wounded. I then told him to go back, get his radio and get a medic for him.
Pte Bill Metcalfe, 29 yrs – D Company Guide
As we were moving through the darkness, I saw a black shape on the floor in front of me; and to be honest I thought it may have been a dead sheep. As I got nearer I realized it was a body. I now know it was Cpl Stephen Hope, I rolled him over and shouted to our patrol medic, LCpl Pete Higgs, ‘Pete, there’s a guy here.’ Cpl Hope was groaning and had very little pulse. I knew from my time in the Rhodesian army that this man would not recover.
Cpl Mark Brown
I noticed the signaller Cpl Stevie Hope, who was in front of me, he just seemed to sit straight down. Cpl John (Jock) Ferry of 9 Squadron RE went over to him and touched him and said, ‘Come on, mate.’ But Cpl Hope just rolled over onto his side, and started snoring loudly. I heard someone say, ‘Shit, he’s been shot in the head.’
In the initial flap someone had cut the straps off his Bergen in order to treat him. So now his Bergen that was carrying the radio had no straps. Major Collett shouted, ‘I need someone to take over the radio now!’ And I thought, Not me, I’ve got a patrol to look after. Someone stepped forward and I heard him say, ‘Fucking hell, who’s cut the fucking straps?’ I don’t know how he carried that radio but it was vital.
Pte Clint McMillon, 22 yrs – D Company Guide
Cpl Mark Brown asked me and Terry Peck to help treat Cpl Hope. He was lying on his back facing up. Terry Peck and I were kneeling over him looking for his injuries and at first, in the darkness, and with his difficulty breathing, I thought he’d been hit in the chest, but he’d been hit in the head. I could hear and feel the closeness of the rounds whizzing just over us.
Pte Ashley Wright
I began making my way towards the sound of a voice urgently shouting, ‘Medic, medic.’ Then out of the dark someone else shouted out, ‘Don’t bother, he’s dead.’ So I stopped and took cover. After a short while someone shouted, ‘Where’s that fucking medic?’ I jumped up and ran forward shouting, ‘Where the fuck are you? It’s the medic.’ Someone shouted, ‘Just keep going forward.’ I thought, Yeah, you just keep going fucking forward.
I eventually arrived at Cpl Hope and immediately began checking him. He was snoring heavily, so I knew he was still alive. I took my gloves off and gently ran my hands over his head, and discovered he had a gunshot wound to his head. I said, ‘We’ve got to get him out of here; we’ve got to get him to somewhere safe so I can treat him.’ I reached down to pick up my gloves and couldn’t find them. It was fucking freezing. I was shivering and I thought, I won’t be able to function properly without them. I was patting the ground when we began to receive more incoming fire. I lay flat, but tried to make myself even flatter as I could hear the rounds cracking just above me. I thought, This is it; I am going to die here.
