Three Days in June, page 36
Major Martin Osborne
Artillery was also beginning to land around us, and I realized we were being bracketed by the enemy artillery. I decided to move the company to the northeast into lower ground, but we were bracketed once again. I then moved the company south and pushed further east. Eventually we reached our reserve position, where I carried out a battle appreciation and acted accordingly. Although we were in the slightly lower ground, it did not prevent us from continuing to receive small-arms fire.
At 01.40hrs (zt), after an extremely fast march, C Company reach their reserve position. They are now situated approximately 100 metres behind A Company. Major Osborne makes contact with CO Hew Pike, to find out if there is any task for C Company. He is told to ‘go firm’. Major Osborne now calls in his Platoon Commanders to give them an update on what is happening.
CO Hew Pike informs Major Osborne there is no task for him at present:
01.40hrs (zt): from C/S 9 to C/S 39: ‘Stay where you are. You will have some sport later on.’
Lt Barry Griffiths
It was shortly after this that all the C Company Platoon Commanders were called in for an ‘O’ Group. While I was away from 7 Platoon, Sgt Robinson detailed one of the sections to recover a casualty from A Company, who lay wounded out to the front of 7 Platoon.
Cpl Boyd (Smudge) Smith
As we moved into the reserve position, my patrol had tagged on to 7 Platoon, who were now directly behind A Company. We could hear them urgently shouting for a medic, and we could see the silhouettes of people. I estimate A Company were roughly 100 metres to our front.
A Company now inform the CO that they have taken one casualty (Cpl Hope):
01.52hrs (zt): from C/S 19 to C/S 9: ‘This Call Sign has one casualty; we are pinned down by sniper fire and are staying put until cleared by Call Sign 2.’
01.52hrs (zt): from C/S 9 to C/S 19: ‘Roger.’
Lt Barry Griffiths
Not long after we moved into the reserve position we came under machine-gun fire; this fire was aimed at A Company as they had begun returning fire. However, the return fire was only just passing over C Company’s position.
CSgt Andy Gow
We had now reached our reserve position, just to the rear of A Company. The area where we were located was rather boggy, and I noticed off to my left a slight hollow with a huge shell hole in it. This shell hole was fairly deep and wide, and I thought it would provide us with some extra cover. We decided this would be our Company Aid Post location, and our group now took cover in the shell hole. We decided that in the event of anyone being wounded, one of the two medics would attend, and then the casualty would be brought back to us and we would centralize any wounded here. I’m not sure how long it was until we heard someone shouting, ‘Medic!’ Dave Stott turned to me and said, ‘I’ll take this one.’ I agreed and said, ‘Okay, if you need help just shout.’ He then crawled off into the darkness, across to where the shouting had come from.
LCpl Dave Stott crawls across to 7 Platoon. He is then detailed by Sgt Robinson to go forward with a section and recover a wounded member of A Company lying about 50 or 60 metres to their front.
Major Martin Osborne
The enemy artillery was repeatedly adjusting its fire onto us, and I had to keep the company moving continually during the night; I had them digging shell scrapes, and then moving before ‘fire for effect’ was called. This annoyed some of the younger members of the company. They thought they were being fucked about, as they were not aware of the process of bracketing.
Pte James (Scouse) O’Connell, 22 yrs – Anti-Tank Platoon attached to C Company
I could see the battle taking place on Longdon: there was tracer going in all directions and I remember seeing multi-coloured explosions up on Fly Half. Around us you could hear the noise of shrapnel and tracer whizzing through the air; it seemed to be passing only inches above us, it was incredibly close. Geordie Nicholson and I both began to dig shell scrapes. We had one digging tool between the two of us – Geordie had a pick, but you couldn’t raise yourself up to swing the pick because of the incoming fire. We were hugging the ground and clawing at the sodden peat, trying to dig a hole with our hands.
CSgt Andy Gow
Shortly after Dave Stott had left the Company Aid Post, someone else began shouting for a medic. Cpl Harding-Dempster now crawled off into the darkness. At this stage, there were shells landing all around C Company’s area.
Cpl Harding-Dempster makes his way to 8 Platoon; Pte Scott Fuller has sustained a leg wound. LCpl Stott’s group now locates Cpl Hope.
LCpl Paul Read, 21 yrs – 7 Platoon
The Argentines began calling in defensive fire on their pre-registered targets to the north and north-west; they were also putting up illumination rounds to try to locate our positions. At some point a group of us [LCpl Dave Stott, Pte Tony Gregory, Pte Mark Blain and others] were tasked to go forward and recover a casualty who was just to the rear of A Company and about 50 metres to our front. We cautiously made our way out, moving to roughly where the shouting was coming from. The person who we were looking for had now gone quiet, then out of the darkness a voice called out, ‘Don’t shoot, I’m a medic from A Company.’
Pte Ashley Wright
I heard voices, and wasn’t sure who they were. I thought, Fucking hell, I hope they don’t shoot me, so I shouted out, ‘Don’t shoot, I’m a medic from A Company.’ I then heard Dave [Stotty] Stott shout back, ‘It’s okay, we’re C Company,’ and then a group of C Company appeared. I said, ‘It’s Steve Hope, he’s been shot in the head.’ Stotty replied, ‘Okay, I’ll need to check him over.’ He quickly got his pen torch out and did a quick check of Steve, and then applied more shell dressings.
While Stotty was doing this, mortar rounds were beginning to fall around us. He said, ‘Right, lads, we need to get him [Cpl Hope] back to C Company.’
Cpl Martin (Taff) Richardson, 26 yrs – Anti-Tank Platoon attached to C Company
I shouted to my section to keep well spaced out, as artillery rounds seemed to be dropping all around us. I shouted, ‘Who’s carrying the IWS?’ and Pte O’Connell replied. I said, ‘Bring it over, I want to have a look and find out what the fuck’s happening.’ As I went to put my head up, machine-gun fire swept across our position – there seemed to be shit coming from everywhere. After a short while there was a bit of a lull, and then more incoming artillery. Suddenly a 155mm round dropped in among us; it buried itself deep in the peat, and there was an absolutely deafening explosion, throwing huge amounts of peat and bog water into the air. I yelled, ‘Is everyone okay? Sound off.’ Everyone began counting off, but when it got to Geordie Nicholson, he shouted, ‘Scouse has been hit!’
Pte James (Scouse) O’Connell
I remember Cpl Taff Richardson shouting, ‘Who’s got the IWS?’ I shouted back, ‘Me.’ He then warned me to be careful, and bring it over. I crawled across to his position and then crawled back to my half-dug shell scrape. The next I remember was being thrown backwards – something passing from forward left to right had glanced across my face. My helmet had come off, my front teeth were missing and my mouth was filling up with blood. I knew something was badly wrong with my face, and straight away, I put my hand to my face, and thought, Oh fuck! I felt across the right side of my face; I had a large hole in it; my cheekbone and right eye were missing. I ran my hand across the centre of my face and I couldn’t feel my nose.
I heard Geordie Nicholson shouting, ‘Scouse, are you okay?’ Although we were not far apart, it was dark, and it was not safe to put your head up. I shouted back, attempting to sound calm, ‘No, I’ve been hit.’ He then asked, ‘Where have you been hit?’ and I replied, ‘In the head.’ He shouted back, ‘Okay; I’ll come over in a minute, just hang on,’ as there was still tracer flying through the air and incoming rounds landing. He crawled over and said, ‘Okay, Scouse, where’ve you been hit?’ I said, ‘It’s my face, Geordie!’ He took his small army torch out, shone it my face and said, ‘Fucking hell!’ I knew from his reaction it was bad.
7.2 ‘This is fucking madness!’
Meanwhile, back with Cpl Hope.
LCpl Paul Read
We managed to slide a poncho half-underneath Cpl Hope and then lifted him onto it, but almost as soon as we began to carry him we began to struggle. He was a heavy bloke, probably 16 or 17 stone. There were bits of shrapnel whizzing everywhere, tracer fire was passing overhead, and we had no choice but to take cover a couple of times. Somehow we managed to drag him back to C Company.
Lt Barry Griffiths
When I returned from the ‘O’ Group I saw Cpl Hope being brought back into C Company’s position. The company at this stage had not been tasked, and had been told by the CO to stay in our reserve position in order to be able to react as required. We had to find any available cover from the incoming artillery fire, which was becoming more intense.
Pte Ashley Wright
When we arrived at C Company HQ with Cpl Hope, CSM Geoff Guest asked me, ‘Who are you?’ I replied, ‘I’m a medic from A Company, I need to go back and rejoin A Company.’ Dave Stott said, ‘You can’t move off on your own, stay here with us.’ I protested, ‘But I’m fucking supposed to be with A Company!’ Geoff Guest said, ‘Okay, that’s fine, you’ll catch up with A Company later, we’re going to be moving through them later.’ So I agreed to stay and help look after the wounded.
After a short while Dave came back and asked, ‘Where’s the medic?’ I shouted, ‘I’m over here.’ He said, ‘You come with me; I need a hand down here.’ I asked, ‘What about Steve?’ [Cpl Hope] and he replied, ‘He’ll be okay, leave him here.’ I followed Stotty, crawling and half running till we reached Pte O’Connell, but Dave had already done most of the work. We then moved him, and later Cpl Rehill, into a large shell hole. We then went back for Cpl Hope and carried him to the shell hole and I now sat with this group of wounded, basically just telling them not to fall asleep, and just reassuring them.
We were shelled constantly. The very soft peaty ground was acting as a sponge. The shells would explode deep into peat, throwing enormous amounts of peat into the air and showering us in watery mud. I said to Stotty, ‘This is fucking madness!’
Cpl Martin (Taff) Richardson
I contacted 8 Platoon and told them we had a badly wounded man. We pulled Scouse O’Connell across to the huge shell hole and tried to establish the extent of his injuries; we got a poncho from somewhere and used it as a shield. Dave Stott got his torch out and said calmly, ‘It’s the right side of his head.’ We swathed Scouse O’Connell’s head in shell dressings.
Sgt Martin (Dickie) Bird
Lt O’Neill asked me to check on the Anti-Tank detachment. At this point there was tracer lashing all around. I crawled across and had a look at this guy [Pte O’Connell] who had blood rolling down his face and I quickly established it was a gunshot wound to the head, in fact entering through the eye and exiting through the side of his temple. I told him what had happened and he went very quiet and then later slipped into shock. We dragged him back down the hill and handed him to some guys behind.
CSgt Andy Gow
After what seemed only a short while there was another call for a ‘Medic!’ LCpl Stott immediately crawled off under small-arms and shell fire to locate the casualty.
LCpl Stott makes his way across to C Company HQ where he finds Cpl Rehill, who has been shot in the face.
Cpl Boyd (Smudge) Smith
The Argentine mortar illumination was now going up and we could clearly see the silhouette of Mount Longdon to our front. The Argentine machine guns were firing on all their defensive arcs. Cpl Rehill was just to my right when he was shot in the face. LCpl Dave [Stotty] Stott seemed to be with us almost immediately, as he had been located just to our rear. Pte Mick [Robbo] Robson and I crawled over to offer our assistance. The next thing I remember was that someone from A Company, who was located to our front, began shouting for a ‘Medic!’
Cpl Paddy Rehill, 27 yrs – Mortar Platoon attached to C Company as MFC
I remember Major Osborne asking Cpl Dickie Bishop to push forward onto the top of the ridge line, so now we had Company HQ, Cpl Bishop’s patrol, Major Osborne, Captain Pope the FOO (Forward Observation Officer) all up on the ridge. Shortly after this Major Osborne and Captain Pope went off somewhere.
I spoke to Cpl Ronnie Cooper and Cpl Terry McGlasson, who were on Longdon, to find out what was happening with B Company. They were saying they were meeting a lot of resistance, and that they were pulling back to an OP, to observe and report back to Major Dennison, who was still at the firebase, and to inform the CO, who was somewhere else observing. I got in touch with Cpl Leuan [Bully] Bullivant to ask what was happening on the Mortar Line, and he informed me that they had a problem; they had no ammunition and were waiting for it to be brought forward. I heard Ronnie Cooper ask for illumination, and then the CO came on the radio and said he did not want us to fire illumination.
Major Osborne now returned. We had Argentine illumination rounds falling to the rear of our position, and I said to Major Osborne that we were being lit up; this area was a DF [defensive fire] we were also taking machine-gun fire and small-arms fire that was aimed at A Company but missing them and coming in our direction. Suddenly a bullet struck my radio boom microphone; it then entered my face through the left side of my jaw and lodged in the back of my throat. Someone began shouting for a medic, and after a short while LCpl David Stott and Cpl Steve Harding-Dempster appeared and began dealing with me. LCpl Chris Fitzgerald now took over my role as MFC.
After LCpl Stott has treated Pte O’Connell and Cpl Rehill, he then returns to Company HQ to bring Cpl Hope to the Company Aid Post.
Cpl Richard (Dickie) Bishop
Suddenly LCpl Dave Stott appeared and said urgently, ‘I need some blokes to give me a hand, Steve Hope’s been hit in the head, and we need to move him.’ My patrol and other members of C Company took hold of the poncho that he was lying on, and we carried and half dragged him to a large recently made 155mm shell hole, which was actually still warm from the explosion. A couple of blokes climbed into the hole, and we lowered him in; he was snoring heavily. After that we were asked to go and help get another member of C Company who had been wounded [Pte Scott Fuller] he was also brought across and placed in the shell hole.
Pte James (Scouse) O’Connell
I remember Dave Stott treating me; I remember his voice, but after that it’s a bit of a blur, I seemed to drift in and out of consciousness. I remember speaking to Sgt Dickie Bird at some point, and shortly after this, Cpl Steve Hope was rolled into the shell hole, he fell across me and I was trying to push him off, but someone warned me, ‘Leave him alone, it’s Steve Hope, he’s been shot in the fucking head.’ We had lots of incoming rounds landing extremely close – I honestly thought it was only a matter of time before this shell hole got hit again, and we all got blown to pieces.
Cpl Boyd (Smudge) Smith
There was a lot of incoming fire directed towards A Company, because they were returning fire at the mountain. Then some members of C Company, who were to my front right, also started firing. I yelled across to them to ‘Stop fucking firing! They can’t see you; they are firing at your muzzle flashes, so stop fucking firing!’ I had to shout a couple of times – eventually they stopped.
Cpl Paddy Rehill
I was now in a shell hole, and at some time after this a member of C Company was brought in [Pte Scott Fuller]. The Argentine artillery fire was relentless; it was landing all around us, all through the night. I still had my radio headset on, so I sat and listened to the progress of the battle throughout the night.
Sgt Martin (Dickie) Bird
After leaving the wounded, myself and a few others crawled back up the hill, when, almost without warning, we were blown over by a 155mm shell which landed probably only 10 or 15 metres away. I remember being thrown onto my back, and sliding backwards and then looking up at tons of peat going up in the air, and I was thinking, This is going to bury me when it comes down, and it did, I got covered in all sorts of mud and peat; I was temporarily deafened, I didn’t get my hearing back for about an hour.
7.3 ‘It had just missed us by a matter of a few inches’
Major Argue assumes that C Company will be used to pass through B Company:
03.30hrs (zt): from C/S 29 to C/S 9: ‘Roger, I am now with Call Sign 2/3 [6 Platoon] and there are a few well-sited automatic weapons, but believe little resistance left, do not think it necessary for Call Sign 3 [C Company] to pass through us yet; we will keep knocking the enemy bit by bit.’
CSgt Andy Gow
The shell hole was now quite full with wounded and their attendees. We still had artillery landing all around us; the noise was horrendous, as they were landing extremely close to us and then showering us with peat and filthy water. At some stage, another one of A Company’s casualties was passed back to us, Pte James [Jock] Brebner; he’d received a shrapnel wound to his ankle. So we were quite busy trying to keep all the casualties warm, and were constantly checking on the most seriously wounded. We were anxious to get the casualties to the RAP, but at that time it just wasn’t practical, there was too much incoming exploding all over the place.
