Three Days in June, page 35
Cpl Joe Black
I distinctly remember seeing a white flare go up from Port Stanley, and shortly after that it came over the radio: ‘They’ve surrendered.’ Then it was helmets off, berets on, and the race for Stanley was on. Sammy Dougherty said to us, ‘Listen in, you lot, we will be passing through a possible minefield, I want you to walk in the footsteps of the man in front, we don’t want any more casualties now that it’s finished.’ As we moved towards Wireless Ridge, I was passing blokes who were just dropping their trousers, as quite a lot of blokes had dysentery and they just had to go whenever nature called.
It wasn’t a sort of triumphant entrance. There was what I can only describe as a battle mist. A smoky haze hung in the air, the smell of cordite and smoke from damaged buildings. The place was a complete mess, there was no celebration. We were eventually told to halt; we all sat at the side of the road waiting for a decision to be made by higher up. Captain Adrian Freer and Sammy Dougherty then told us that we were to go into one of the houses that line Ross Road. We were to clean up and find a space to rest. The Mortar and Anti-Tank Platoons liberated quite a few crates of beer that night.
LCpl Graham Tolson
I’m not sure what the exact briefing was or who gave it, but the gist of it was, ‘Prepare to move.’ We were told that there had been reports of the collapse of the Argentine forces. We quickly began advancing towards Wireless Ridge. I was quite wary as I felt there was a likelihood that we were moving through a minefield. I noticed some of the lads in front were dancing and cheering, and I wondered what was going on. Pte Ilija Lazic shouted back, ‘They’ve fucking surrendered!’
I looked towards Port Stanley and there it was: confirmation of the Argentine surrender. I could see an Argentine Huey helicopter flying low, circling the Sound, with a white sheet hanging from a weighted hawser. [This may have been one of the Argentine helicopters loading wounded Argentine personnel on board the hospital ship ARA Almirante Irízar.]
We continued our advance towards Moody Brook. 2 PARA were also heading into Moody Brook. My section had reached the track that leads up to the Ross Road West; in the distance I could see the Beaver hangar with its bright Red Cross symbols. Sapper Hill rose up to my right. The racecourse was in full view, with the Argentine 105mm Howitzers dug in just to the west of it. They stood silent, an ominous sight. We eventually walked to the edge of Stanley and went firm at the side of the road.
I had very mixed emotions at the time – I was proud of my unit and all it had achieved, but I was also saddened by the losses. I was physically and mentally shattered. 2 PARA had won the race into Stanley, but it didn’t matter. At least the Parachute Regiment came first and second. After a short time we moved forward to the houses that were on Ross Road West. Tony Bojko, Pete Maddocks and I took up a position at the garden gate of one of these houses. We all huddled around a hexamine stove, making a brew, while sitting on the pavement.
The rest of 3 PARA continued to arrive. There was plenty of banter between us; there was an air of mutual respect between us all. Everyone appeared extremely relieved that the hostilities were over. I spotted a group of about ten people coming down the road; they stood out from the crowd. Their uniforms were relatively clean and they weren’t wearing cam cream! As they got nearer to us, there was a bloke in a green waterproof jacket, smoking a pipe. He was clearly an important person [Brigadier Julian Thompson] with his entourage. As he walked past, he said, ‘Well done the PARAs.’ I thought, Yeah, that’s fucking right.
Pte Len Baines
We were halfway between Longdon and Wireless Ridge when it came over the radio, ‘White flags in Stanley.’ Then shortly after we were told, ‘Helmets off, berets on.’
When we reached Moody Brook we were told to ‘make safe’ our weapons and only to fire in self-defence. I noticed an Argentine sentry standing to attention, as if he was on a parade ground, with his rifle held tight by his side, gripping the pistol grip; he was guarding some oil drums as two Parachute Regiment battalions streamed past him! Eventually he was disarmed and taken prisoner. We stopped and searched some of the Argentinians at the field first aid station [Beaver Hangar] on the Ross Road. We disarmed them and then carried on down the road. We passed the Argentine 105mm guns that we later found out had previously been owned by the 7th Royal Horse Artillery, and continued into Stanley. We came to a stop somewhere along the coast road and then just sat at the side of the road waiting for orders as to what to do next. Eventually, we were told to occupy the bungalows along Ross Road. Shortly after we had moved in, three Argentine Huey Helicopters landed at the back of the bungalows. The crews all surrendered, the helicopters were then liberated for souvenirs. I managed to obtain one of the pilots’ helmets, which I still have.
Sgt Manny Manfred
We were moving towards Moody Brook, while watching the ground very carefully, when the radio operator Pte Andy Broad, who was behind me, shouted to someone who was talking, to ‘Shut the fuck up.’ Then he spoke into his radio and said, ‘One One Alpha, say again, over.’ Then after a short pause, he said, ‘One, One Alpha, Roger, out.’ I turned to listen to what the message was, and Andy Broad smiled and said, ‘They’re saying that there’s white flags flying in Stanley, they’ve surrendered.’ There was a lot of cheering, but I thought to myself, Just our luck to be in a minefield when they surrender. I told the blokes, ‘Do not switch off yet, it’s still very dangerous.’ But people were starting to accelerate, they could see 2 PARA streaming down from Wireless Ridge; it didn’t take a genius to work out what was going on.
Sid Vicious [Pte Haire] had a bad case of dysentery and was struggling to keep up. I noticed a Snowcat vehicle passing, so I flagged it down and I told the driver I had a sick man who was struggling and needed a lift. They said, ‘Okay, tell him to come over.’ Sid made his way across and climbed in, but it was a very confined space in the Snowcat, and he stank of shit. After about 200 metres the Snowcat stopped, the door opened, and Sid was unceremoniously ejected, windmilling to keep his balance.
It seemed no time at all that we were on Ross Road West, heading into Port Stanley. Then we were told to stop. We sat at the side of the road waiting to be told what to do next, as no one seemed to know. Eventually CSM Alec Munro came along and allocated us various bungalows. My platoon went in and we rolled the carpets up so they wouldn’t be damaged by our dirty boots and kit. My first visit was to the flush toilet. Unfortunately, the Argies had turned off the water and power the night we attacked Longdon, so I had to put it out of bounds until we could get buckets of water to flush it with.
Pte Trevor Bradshaw
We made our way to Wireless Ridge and down into Moody Brook. The barracks was devastated, it was a smoking ruin. It really felt and looked like a war zone. By now we had taken off our helmets and put our berets on, and at this stage people were in a lighter, jovial mood. I took some photos of our section on the Ross Road, but the NCOs were keen to keep us focused saying, ‘Don’t piss about, keep focused.’ Smoke was drifting across the road. When we took over one of the bungalows, it was eerie, like someone had just got up and left the room. There was a half-eaten meal and the kettle was still warm.
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1 Tape-recorded debrief from 1982 by Gen Sir Anthony Farrar-Hockley with Major John Patrick RA.
CHAPTER SEVEN
‘THIS ISN’T A FUCKING GAME!’
C COMPANY 3 PARA
7.1 ‘Almost immediately we began receiving fire’
FRIDAY 11 JUNE 1982
Major Martin Osborne, 36 yrs – Officer Commanding C Company
On 10 June I received my orders concerning the role that C Company would play in the forthcoming Brigade three-phase plan, to capture the high ground around Port Stanley. The battalion’s mission was to capture Mount Longdon and my company’s role would be to act as the reserve company. I was to move the company into a position where we could assist or reinforce either A or B Company. Once B Company had secured their objective, we were to exploit as far as possible along Wireless Ridge with A Company.
On Friday 11 June 1982 at approximately 15.00hrs (zt), C Company begin moving from their company location (grid reference 224786.) The order of march is 7 Platoon leading, followed by C Company HQ and 8 Platoon, with 9 Platoon bringing up the rear. They are to rendezvous at A Company’s location, codenamed ‘Apple Flake’, which is a four-hour march away and situated 4 kilometres south-east of their present location (at grid 265767). ‘Apple Flake’ is to be the assembly area for the entire battalion.
The battalion begin leaving this area shortly after last light, with each company guided by members of D Company to the crossing point at the Murrell River 2 kilometres away. This area is also secured by elements of D Company. The river is to be bridged by 9 Squadron RE, and once across the river, they will march north, then east to an area (grid 304763) codenamed ‘Slim Rag’. After they reach this location, they will continue east to the Furze Bush Stream (grid 314764). The stream runs north to south, it is quite shallow and can be easily crossed. Once across they will be on the Battalion Start Line, codenamed ‘Jungle Boot’. The company will then push east to their reserve position (grid 330760). Once there the company will be positioned in such a way that it is out of contact, but will remain close enough to be able to react in support of the Battalion Command’s plans or contingencies. They are to remain in this location until they receive any further orders.
CSgt Andy Gow, 27 yrs – CSgt C Company HQ
At the time, I was a spare senior NCO, having recently been the CQMS [Company Quartermaster Sergeant] for C Company and had been recalled from my pre-RMAS [Royal Military Academy Sandhurst] instructor course. I would be part of C Company Headquarters. As I had only just finished a first-aid instructor course, my role would be as part of the Company Aid Post team. Our task would be to set up a Company Aid Post area and deal with any casualties prior to their evacuation, and assist the CSM with any resupplies.
Cpl Richard (Dickie) Bishop, 26 yrs – D Company (Patrols) attached to C Company
My patrol Call Sign 43B would meet with C Company and guide them to the Battalion Start Line via a crossing point at the Murrell River. The only problem was the delay caused by the previous rifle companies crossing the Murrell River – as you can imagine, crossing a river in the dark, over a ladder with a plank strapped to it, is quite an awkward thing to do while carrying full kit and ammunition for a battalion attack.
Cpl Bishop’s D Company Call Sign 43B consists of L/Cpl Joe McKeown, L/Cpl Pete Deakin and Pte Surinder (Raj) Rajput.
Cpl Boyd (Smudge) Smith, 22 yrs – D Company (Patrols) attached to C Company
The Murrell River is about 5 feet deep, and is fast flowing, although the river isn’t very wide, only about 8–10 feet wide. The river banks are quite steep and about five feet high in places: wading across the river at night would not be an option. Eventually we located a suitable crossing point roughly 700 metres north of the Murrell Bridge. A temporary bridging structure was constructed using a scaffolding board and two ladders strapped together, which was then placed across the river.
With the makeshift nature of the structure, the task of shuffling across a scaffolding board in the dark carrying huge amounts of ammunition was taking longer than expected, and a number of soldiers fell in the river. I remember one lad being pulled out; he’d fallen in carrying his enormous Bergen and a GPMG, and by the time he was pulled out he’d half drowned. Finally, A Company were all across, they then marched off into the night. By the time B Company had crossed it was clear that the timings were running late.
Cpl Smith’s D Company Call Sign 43C consists of Pte Mick (Robbo) Robson, Pte Gary (Gaz) Pullen and Pte Bruce (Aussie) Straughan.
Lt Barry Griffiths, 24 yrs – Officer Commanding 7 Platoon
I had taken part in a reconnaissance patrol of the Mount Longdon area the previous night, so I was familiar with the route. Unfortunately, when we reached the crossing point, there was a large backlog of troops waiting to cross the river, so we had to wait while B Company and Support Company crossed. Eventually we got C Company across and began moving at a fairly fast pace, but due to the battalion bottleneck at the river, we were now running late.
Due to the bottleneck crossing the river, it is not until approximately 22.50hrs (zt) that C Company finally manage to cross. They are still 3.8 kilometres from the Battalion Start Line, and a further 1.3 kilometres from their reserve position. The battalion H-Hour is 00.00hrs (zt).
SATURDAY 12 JUNE 1982
B Company and Support Company have been forced to divert from their intended route of march due to time delays at the river crossing.
B Company has reached their position on the Start Line:
00.30hrs (zt): from C/S 29 to C/S 9: ‘Now across Jungle Boot [Battalion Start Line].’
On hearing B Company have begun their advance, the CO immediately orders A Company to begin their advance towards the Furze Bush Pass, where they will shake out into assault formation facing south:
00.31hrs (zt): from C/S 9 to C/S 19: ‘Call Sign 1 move now.’
Support Company have just reached their firebase location:
00.31hrs (zt): from C/S 59 to C/S 9: ‘Going firm (Free Kick) ready in five minutes.’
C Company are marching flat out trying to catch up:
00.31hrs (zt): from C/S 39 to C/S 9: ‘1000 metres from Jungle Boot.’
A Company have now reached a position approximately 800 metres north from Wing Forward. They are in dead ground and will form up into assault formation facing south and then begin advancing towards Wing Forward:
01.00hrs (zt): from C/S 19 to C/S 9: ‘Now static.’:
01.07hrs (zt): from C/S 29 to C/S 9: ‘Contact wait-out.’
Shortly after C Company cross the Battalion Start Line; Cpl Milne of 4 Platoon steps on a mine located on the north-west corner of Longdon. Almost immediately there is a huge return of fire aimed at the north-western corner; C Company’s position on the Start Line is at approximately a 45-degree angle from the north-west corner of Longdon, and they now begin to receive direct and indirect fire from Longdon; also the enemy defensive artillery fire is called on all possible approaches.
Cpl Richard (Dickie) Bishop
There was very little to navigate off other than Mount Longdon itself, so I used the left-hand shoulder of the mountain as a reference point, and kept it at the two o’clock position. Eventually we reached the area of Furze Bush Stream, which had fairly steep rocky sides. We had to scramble down some rocks to cross the stream, but they were nothing, only maybe 9 or 10 feet high. We crossed the stream and then moved towards our position on the Battalion Start Line. B Company’s position on the Start Line was to be off to our right, but as we were running late, there was no one here, as both A and B Company had already started their advance. I remember saying to Lt Griffiths, ‘Sir, this is the Start Line.’ My patrol then received a message telling us [my patrol] to push forward, to provide extra protection for C Company HQ. I now met up with Cpl Paddy Rehill [MFC] Major Osborne was off to my left. The battle on the mountain had now started, and the Argentine artillery began firing on their pre-registered DFs. Almost immediately we began receiving fire from Longdon.
Cpl Boyd (Smudge) Smith
When we arrived at the Start Line, both A and B Company had already started their advance. Cpl Bishop’s patrol led 7 Platoon to the northern end of the Battalion Start Line. We now paused for a moment, when suddenly we began taking indirect machine-gun and small-arms fire from Mount Longdon. Although the fire was mainly passing overhead, it was quite intense as the rounds zipped through the air.
Unfortunately, C Company’s position on the Battalion Start Line at grid 314764 had been identified and reported by D Company 3 PARA and was included in the Intelligence Summary No. 16 covering 060900 (zt) to 062100 (zt) June 1982 stating ‘an SF DF was located at grid 314764’. But it was thought the entire battalion would have passed through this location before any contact had been made, and all of the rifle companies would have been in their respective positions.
Lt Barry Griffiths
Shortly after we moved on to the Start Line, we came under pretty heavy machine-gun fire, but fortunately it passed overhead.
Sgt Martin (Dickie) Bird, 29 yrs – Sergeant, 8 Platoon
Shortly after A and B Company engaged the enemy we came under an awesome amount of fire, which was probably the stuff that was being fired at B Company. It was bloody awful; we were lying in the open and it was sickening to hear the enemy small-arms fire passing just over the top of us.
Things are going relatively well for A Company. Although there is a large amount of small-arms fire being fired at them, it is passing overhead, and they are steadily advancing uphill towards Wing Forward.
01.25hrs (zt): from C/S 19 to C/S 9: ‘We have not encountered any opposition.’
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.’
01.30hrs (zt): from C/S 19 to C/S 19: ‘No, we are clear.’
A Company continue advancing over the crest of the ridge leading to Wing Forward, when suddenly the small-arms fire becomes more effective and the decision is made to take cover in the peat banks to their immediate front. During this movement Cpl Hope is wounded. A Company are now approximately 600 metres from the base of Mount Longdon.
