Three Days in June, page 44
The next thing I remember, it was daylight and I was freezing cold. I recall seeing some 9 Squadron lads along with some of our cooks. They came up with two stretchers, full of ammunition. They said they were going to put me on one of the stretchers. I said, ‘No, I can walk,’ but truly I was in no fit state. They loaded Frank and Graham onto the stretchers and they were carried in front of me. I hobbled behind with a 9 Squadron guy. We’d reached halfway to the RAP when we heard the whistle of incoming rounds. The 9 Squadron guy threw me to the floor and lay on top of me. [Gunshot wound to the chest, punctured lung.]
Pte Mark Eyles-Thomas
CSgt Brian Faulkner helped me load Cpl Kelly into the back of one of the BVs that had arrived. Ned Kelly didn’t look well; he was as white as a sheet. As I went to walk away Brian said, ‘No, you stay with him, sit in the back and look after Ned, don’t you dare let him fall asleep.’
09.30hrs (zt): from C/S 83A to C/S 0: ‘7 x casualties on board to 9B possibly more to be picked up.’
Two BVs have returned from dropping off the earlier wounded personnel and get loaded up with Cpl Ned Kelly (plus escort Pte Mark Eyles-Thomas), Cpl Ian Bailey, Pte’s Dave Kempster, Keith Parry, Jeff Logan and Mick Swain. Lt Andy Bickerdike will wait for next BV.
Cpl Ned Kelly
I was loaded into a Snowcat vehicle by Mark Eyles-Thomas, WO2 Kenny Sargent and Brian Faulkner. Mark Eyles-Thomas was detailed by Brian to get into the back of the BV and make sure I didn’t fall asleep. We began the long journey to the LS pick-up point [helicopter landing site]. It was only when sitting in the back of the vehicle that I began to realize how extensive my wound was. As I reached inside my smock to get a cigarette, I noticed a big hole in my jumper around the stomach area. When we reached the landing site a Gazelle helicopter turned up, and I was somehow squeezed into it. I was then taken to Teal Inlet where I was patched up by a PFA medic [Parachute Field Ambulance]. Then I was taken to Ajax Bay, where I was operated on [for a gunshot wound to the stomach].
Pte Mark Eyles-Thomas
I was quite nervous sitting across from Ned Kelly in the BV. He looked at me menacingly, and said, ‘Don’t let me fall asleep; if I fall asleep, I won’t wake up.’ He reached to get a cigarette but when he opened his smock I saw that his green army jumper was soaked in blood and there was a hole in it. Ned said to me, ‘I want you to check my wound.’ I thought, His guts are going to fall out, and he’ll fucking kill me! I gingerly lifted his green army jumper and opened his shirt; I saw a tear in his stomach with a piece of intestine sticking out. I told Ned about the intestine and asked him if he wanted me to push it back in. Ned thought for a moment, then just nodded and raised his eyes to the ceiling of the BV. I pushed the intestine back in and Ned never flinched. I lowered his jumper and sat back with some relief.
Cpl Ian Bailey
The next thing I remember was waking up on board a BV and then somehow, I eventually arrived at Teal Inlet. I was taken to a building where they triaged the wounded. They began taking my clothes off, and I warned them, ‘I still have a white phosphorus grenade in my smock pocket. Don’t touch it.’ I noticed somebody in camouflage uniform and I said, ‘Give it to him; he will know what to do with it.’ I was taken to an outside tent and left at the back of the queue. Some considerable time later, a medic came into the tent, lifted up the blanket and said, ‘Fucking Hell!’ He then ran off and told someone that I was still in there. Shortly after this I was loaded into a Wessex helicopter and flown to the SS Uganda. On arrival, I was taken immediately into the operating theatre.
[Time from wounding to theatre, possibly over ten hours.]
AAC Scout helicopters have lifted off from the helicopter landing site.
09.35hrs (zt): from C/S 0 to 9B: ‘DN & DO left here with five passengers.’
Cpl Ian Mousette, 24 yrs – AAC Scout Helicopter Aircrew
On Saturday 12 June, shortly before first light, myself and Sgt Dick Kalinski sat in our Scout XR628, fuelled up and engines running, just waiting for the ‘Go’. Suddenly, we were given the ‘thumbs up’, and we were off, racing to the landing site, flying fast and low. There were two Scouts tasked; the second aircraft was crewed by Captain John Greenhalgh and Cpl John Gammon. They were leading, and we were just behind. As we got closer, we dropped even lower, using our Radalt [radar altimeter] that we had just been issued with. We crept up to the LS, flying at roughly head height, until we saw the signal light held by Captain Bob Darby. We quickly found a piece of level ground to put the helicopter down, and stretcher-bearers immediately ran forward with the most urgent cases.
In reply to Brigade’s earlier request, 3 PARA HQ now return their estimate of casualties:
09.42hrs (zt): from C/S 0 to C/S 99: ‘Reference number of casualties, approximately, possibly two dead and 20 injured.’
09.50hrs (zt): from C/S 9A to C/S 9B: ‘2 x BV’s leaving with 7 casualties. 2 more later, then possibly 5 more.’
8.3 ‘I won’t ask again, leave the man alone!’
First light approximately 10.00hrs (zt).
C Company casualties have now arrived in the RAP area: Cpl Paddy Rehill, gunshot wound to the face; Cpl Stephen Hope, gunshot wound to the head; Pte James O’Connell gunshot wound to the face; Pte James Brebner, shrapnel wound to the leg; Pte Scott Fuller, shrapnel wound to the leg; Pte ‘Soldier’, suffering from shock.
Captain Bob Darby informs 3 PARA HQ that he has seven wounded at the landing site:
10.10hrs (zt): from C/S 9B to C/S 0: ‘7 x total casualties my location.’
Captain John (Doctor) Burgess
I remember Cpl Hope arriving at the RAP. I immediately assessed him, but sadly, his head injuries were extensive. There was not a lot we could do for him; we had to categorize him as a priority four. He was moved to an area where he could be monitored, away from the survivable casualties. We later moved the dead, so that they were out of sight of the wounded.
LCpl Lenny Carver
When I reached the RAP, I was placed on my own; I found out later that they thought I might not make it, so I was moved to one side with Cpl Steve Hope. CSgt Brian Faulkner and Dr Mike Von Bertele came up. Mike did a quick check and said, ‘Right, give him morphine.’ Suddenly three artillery rounds landed quite close to the RAP: boom, boom, boom. I was starting to feel the cold so I asked for a blanket. Steve Hope was still snoring away. As blokes were being taken on board the BVs, someone would bring me the spare blankets and place them on me. The Argentine blankets were quite thick and heavy, and I was so weak I couldn’t move under the weight of them.
Pte Robert (Bob) Greasley, 17 yrs – C Company, 9 Platoon
Now that we’d reached the RAP, my mate Pte Andy Davidson spotted a dead Argentine who looked as if he’d been shot through the throat. Andy noticed he had a nice set of boots on. He said, ‘Fucking hell, Bob, look at those boots! I’m having them, give me a hand.’ So we were in the middle of undoing the laces when an officer comes over and said, ‘What are you two doing?’ To which Andy Davidson replies ‘Sir, my DMs are in a shit state and the Argy won’t be needing his any more!’ The officer said, ‘Stop right now.’ Andy said, ‘But, Sir, my boots are fucked!’ The officer then spoke with a bit more authority in his voice and said, ‘I won’t ask again, leave the man alone!’
LCpl Steve McConnell
It was now daylight. I came across Pte O’Connell propped against a small rock, and alongside him was Cpl Steve Hope. John Kennedy started to apply a field dressing to a casualty whom I didn’t know. Pte [Mac] McFarlane went over to Cpl Hope and started to adjust his field dressing and check his life signs; at the same time I checked Pte O’Connell for life signs. I took his pulse and placed another field dressing over the wound. I removed his gloves and massaged his hands, trying to get circulation back into his fingers.
Pte James (Scouse) O’Connell
We eventually reached the RAP; I was drifting in and out of consciousness. At some point I blacked out, and I next remember being half-awake and being carried on a stretcher. I couldn’t see anything because of the shell dressings covering my face. I was completely drained and too weak to move. I think I must have moved, because one of them said, ‘Fucking hell, this one’s alive!’ His mate said, ‘Who the fuck is it?’ and the first one replied, ‘I’m fucked if I know, let’s take him back.’ The next thing I remember was being placed in the back of a BV. Someone was taking names; he poked me and asked, ‘What’s your name?’ I said, ‘Scouse O’Connell.’ I then heard Dominic Grey say, ‘Fucking hell, Scouse! Is that you? Don’t worry, mate, I’ll look after you,’ and he did. As we moved off, we began to get shelled. [Gunshot wound, loss of right eye and cheekbone.]
Cpl Davie (Jock) Wilson, 22 yrs – Medic, RAMC
I recall LCpl Neil Parkin from 23 PFA taking a jacket off one of the Argentine casualties in the RAP, and placing it on a 3 PARA soldier who was drifting in and out of consciousness and shivering.
Cpl Paddy Rehill
I managed to get in a BV commanded by WO2 Kenny Sargent. He began taking the names of the casualties in his BV. As we were being driven away we came under artillery fire. It was a creeping barrage. The driver stopped for a moment as rounds exploded around us, and then we continued on our way to the helicopter landing site. The site was just over 4 kilometres away and took approximately 90 minutes to reach. The terrain we had to cross was dreadful. [Gunshot wound to jaw.]
Pte Bill Metcalfe, 29 yrs – D Company Guide
I made my way to the RAP helped by Cpl Mark Brown. One of the first persons I remember seeing was Pte Dominic Gray, who had a huge bandage on his head with the bow tied under his chin. There was a large group of wounded who were waiting to be either attended to, or just waiting to be casevaced by BV. It was just getting light at this stage. I was eventually loaded into a Snowcat vehicle with Dominic Gray, Jim O’Connell and Lt Andy Bickerdike. [Gunshot wound to right foot.]
The RAP informs Captain Bob Darby at the LS that he has more casualties inbound:
10.21hrs (zt): from C/S 9A to C/S 9B: ‘6 x walking wounded, 2 x stretcher cases, leaving this location for yours in BV.’
Onboard the first BV are Lt Bickerdike, Cpl Paddy Rehill, Pte Jimmy O’Connell, Pte Unknown, Pte Bill Metcalfe and Pte Dominic Gray. Onboard the second BV are Cpl Stephen Hope on a stretcher and Pte Syd Fuller. Pte James Brebner will stay in the RAP. Pte ‘Soldier’ has now recovered from his initial shock and is assisting in the RAP.
Pte John Kennedy
I remember treating Pte Michael [Mushrooms] Bateman shortly after he was brought into the RAP; he had been shot in the throat and the round had exited out of his shoulder. With that type of injury there was not much more we could do. We just hoped he would get evacuated as soon as possible.
Pte Ashley Wright
We had both British and Argentine casualties arriving into the RAP. We began treating their wounds, locating blankets and giving them sips of warm tea; the Argentines were treated no different than our own. I remember speaking to Pte Michael Bateman, who, despite his terrible throat and shoulder injuries, still managed a smile as he sat up against a rock.
LCpl Roger James
The doctors had a quick look at my injuries and said there wasn’t much they could do, as I already had shell dressings on, so they left the dressings alone – it wasn’t worth disturbing them. The padre was giving us sips of tea, and someone was giving out cigarettes. I remember hearing Major Patton on the radio saying, ‘I want helicopters, and I want them now.’ [Shrapnel wounds to foot, leg and back.]
Padre Derek Heaver
It was light, and I wanted to go and speak with the men. The ground I was crossing was reasonably open, when suddenly an incoming round landed close enough for me to catch some of the force of the blast. It didn’t knock me over but it certainly shook me. I thought about it for a few seconds and then I returned to the reasonable cover afforded by the rocks of the RAP.
There were three stretcher teams under the command of CSgt Derek (Dex) Allen, Sgt Pete Marshall ACC and Sgt Keith Hopper. Cook Sgt Pete Marshall was blown up a number of times and carried on recovering the wounded.
Sgt Keith Hopper
We spent the day going up and down Mount Longdon bringing down the wounded to the RAP. There were some walking wounded, but the majority had to be stretchered down. It was quite a difficult task as some of the ground was rather steep and craggy, and sometimes slippery underfoot due to the frozen ground. We were trying not to jolt the stretcher too much, so as not to cause additional pain to the casualty, but at times it was difficult to keep your footing.
Pte Craig (Tommy) Onions
We were bringing Cpl Graham Heaton down to the aid post on a stretcher when we got caught in an artillery barrage. We all dropped to the ground. Pete Marshall and I lay across Cpl Heaton to shield him. Some of the peat and debris from the explosions landed on top of us. We judged when it was relatively safe to move, and then picked the stretcher up and began running. When we reached the RAP it was chaos. CSgt Faulkner shouted, ‘Right, take him over there,’ and pointed us to one of the doctors.
At that moment, I just slumped against a rock, and my emotions caught up with me. The tears ran down my face. CSgt Faulkner spotted me and shouted, ‘What the fucking hell’s up with you? Get back up there.’ I couldn’t talk; I’d really lost it. Dick Granger said, ‘CSgt, he’s just seen Chris Lovett killed, he’s a bit upset.’ Brian Faulkner was a good friend of Chris Lovett. He changed his tone completely and said to someone, ‘Right, you, make him a brew and sit him over there.’
Pte Ashley Wright
Someone said, ‘Ashley, sorry about this, mate, but they’ve just brought in Chris Lovett.’ My heart sank. I went across to see him. Chris Lovett’s body had been covered with a poncho; I recognized the long shape of his body, and his boots. I stared at him and felt empty. My world stopped for a moment. A cook stretcher-bearer was standing alongside me, and I asked him, ‘What happened?’ He said, ‘He was caught in an explosion, he never felt a thing.’
Pte Simon Clark
As I got to the RAP the scene that greeted me was incredible. Wounded people seemed to be everywhere. Both of our doctors, Mike Von Bertele and John Burgess, were extremely busy with the most seriously wounded. The medics were dealing with people and trying to prioritize who required the most urgent treatment. Artillery rounds were still dropping around us. The padre was trying to give comfort to the wounded. The noise of the shells whistling over our heads was constant. However, we were in a relatively safe location, sitting with our back against a rock wall. I was classed as non-urgent since I could talk and wasn’t in immediate danger of dying, as other people were. I just sat and waited for my turn. [Gunshot wound to left leg, later amputated.]
WO2 John Carey, 39 yrs – Vehicle Convoy, Headquarters Company
One thing I must say about all the wounded is that not one man complained, in fact some were in quite good humour. We had some badly wounded men, but there was nothing much we could do, except try to keep them warm, keep their spirits up and hope we could get some helicopters in to casevac them. I remember one man in particular, LCpl Roger James, who was wounded in the foot but desperate for a cigarette. His friend Pte Tony McLarnon came into the RAP, looking a bit bedraggled. His smock was torn and covered in small burn holes. He was carrying a rifle that had the stock smashed off. He looked quite comical and he said to me, ‘Sir, can I have another rifle?’ I said, ‘What happened?’ He replied, ‘I’ve just been blown up, Sir.’ I said, ‘Are you okay?’ Tony said, ‘Yeah, I’m okay, don’t worry about me, Sir, but I need another weapon, my rifle’s knackered.’ I gave him one of the weapons from a heap that had now accumulated from the injured, and then Tony made his way straight back up the hill.
CSgt Brian Faulkner
Sgt John Ross came to look for Cpl McLaughlin, who had been wounded within the previous half-hour. He had reportedly come to the RAP. John asked, ‘Did Scouse McLaughlin and Ned Kelly get out okay? I said, ‘Scouse hasn’t been through, but Ned Kelly went about an hour ago.’ John Ross said, ‘Scouse must be down here somewhere, he was hit half an hour ago.’ I said, ‘John, I’m telling you, he hasn’t been through here.’ He replied, ‘Maybe he’s gone on a BV, and you’ve missed him.’ I had to tell him, ‘John, I know everyone that’s gone out of here. He hasn’t come in or gone out.’
LCpl Paul (Ginge) Moore
Spr Steve Thistlewhite and I moved up the gully towards the northern side. Someone called across to us and said, ‘Lads, we need a hand over here.’ We walked over to a quite exposed area where we saw the bodies of two 3 PARA blokes, laying face downwards. One still had his arm around the other. You could clearly see one had been helping the other walking down the hill. You could see the shell hole and the spoil just behind them. They had both been thrown forward and died immediately, almost as if they never knew what hit them.
