Family of Wirral Falklands hero to consider seeking judicial review over government's refusal to award him posthumous gallantry medal

Relatives of Cpl Stewart McLaughlin believe MoD investigation should be re-opened to consider new evidence.The family of a Wirral Falklands hero is considering seeking a judicial review over the government’s refusal to award him a gallantry medal. It comes after a Ministry of Defence inquiry ruled there was no evidence Cpl Stewart McLaughlin, who died during the battle of Mount Longdon in 1982, was treated differently from other servicemen who were considered for an award at the time. The Wallasey soldier’s family has been leading a campaign for him to be posthumously recognised, arguing that a citation was mislaid and never considered. Cpl McLaughlin’s commanding officer in the Falklands, Lieutenant-General Sir Hew Pike, has since rewritten it, stating his actions fell “firmly in the Victoria Cross bracket”. Family members say the investigation, which found there was no evidence a citation was prepared for Cpl McLaughlin, ignored key evidence that a citation was written – which they say they could have provided if they had been consulted. Wallasey MP Angela Eagle and former paratrooper Dan Jarvis, MP for Barnsley Central, who have both supported the family’s campaign, have now written a joint letter to Lord Astor, the minister responsible for medals, expressing their disappointment in how it was carried out and calling on him to re-open the case.Read more HERE


(RG) They should do the right thing and award this brave soldier a gallantry medal, but for some reason they wont. I wish them the best of luck with their battle.

Medal 'victory' for forgotten Falklands hero

A paratrooper who was killed in the Falklands is in line to receive a top gallantry medal after his case was highlighted by The Mail on Sunday, sparking a remarkable U-turn by the Prime Minister. Corporal Stewart McLaughlin, 27, who was killed leading British soldiers during the Battle of Mount Longdon in June 1982, was denied a bravery award after commanders lost his handwritten citation. The recommendation was written just hours after Cpl McLaughlin’s death on the mountain overlooking the capital Port Stanley where British Paras took key enemy positions. Within two days of the battle, British soldiers were able to force the Argentinians to surrender. Cpl McLaughlin’s citation described how he had ‘fought like a demon’ and inspired young Paras in his section by charging towards enemy machine-gun fire shouting: ‘Come on lads, I’m bulletproof, follow me!’He was killed in the final throes of the battle and hours later his medal citation was misplaced when officers from the 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, were forced to move to another HQ. Last month we reported how David Cameron had blocked a bid by the soldier’s family for Cpl McLaughlin to receive official recognition, telling them it was ‘simply not possible after this amount of time’ to look again at the case.Read More HERE

March on Downing Street for Falklands Hero

Hundreds of paratroopers who fought in the Falklands War have marched on Downing Street to demand recognition for one of their number. Corporal Stewart McLoughlin of 3 PARA died after The Battle of Mount Longdon, following extraordinary courage under fire. He was put forward for a Gallantry medal, but the written citation needed to award it was never received. Watch Video HERE