D Sub 58 Battery Rapier 12 Regt Royal Artillery San Carlos Falklands

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Blue Beach military cemetery San Carlos Falkland Islands

Tony McNally at Blue Beach cemetary San Carlos

Blue Beach Military Cemetery at San Carlos is a British war cemetery in the Falkland Islands holding the remains of 14 of the 260 British casualties killed during Falklands War in 1982. It is situated close to where 3 Commando Brigade had its initial headquarters after landing on 21 May 1982. Up until 1982 all British serviceman killed in action were buried and commemorated as close to the place of death as possible and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission managed these graves. After the Falklands War, one family requested the repatriation of their fallen son's body, and following this, other families requested the same; [2] as a result, this offer was extended to all relatives. On 16 November 1982 64 of the dead, (52 soldiers, 11 Royal Marines, and one laundryman from Hong Kong) were returned to Britain aboard the landing ship Sir Bedivere. The families of 16 of the dead kept with tradition and preferred their sons' remains should stay in the islands. Fourteen are buried at Port San Carlos [3] with two more at isolated single grave sites at Goose Green and Port Howard.

 Blue Beach Military Cemetary 

The Battle Of San Carlos (Bomb Alley)

1982 the Battle of San Carlos, a major battle between aircraft and ships that lasted from 21 to 25 May 1982 during the British landings on the shores of San Carlos Water (which became known as "Bomb Alley") in the 1982 Falklands War, begins. Operation Sutton was the British landings on the shores of San Carlos Water, at Ajax Bay and Port San Carlos, near the San Carlos on East Falkland. Picture: The Royal Marines Landing at San Carlos by David Rowlands Landings During the night, 3 Commando Brigade along with attached units of the Parachute Regiment were landed from the liner SS Canberra and the LPD HMS Fearless. There was very limited enemy resistance on the ground. The Argentine Army force on site was a section from the 25th Infantry Regiment named Combat team Güemes, or EC Güemes, located at Fanning Head. After the British fleet was spotted at 02:50, EC Güemes opened fire 81mm mortars and two 105mm recoilless rifles. The British warships replied with naval gunfire, and a 25-man SBS team also returned fire. During the firefight, two British Army helicopters, a Sea King and a Gazelle passed overhead, and the Argentine troops fired at them with machine guns. The Gazelle's pilot, Sergeant Andy Evans, was hit and fatally injured, but he managed to ditch the aircraft into the sea. Evans and the other crewman, Sergeant Ed Candlish, were thrown out of the aircraft, and Argentine troops shot at them for about 15 minutes as they struggled in the water, ignoring orders to cease fire from their commanding officer. When the firing stopped, Candlish managed to drag Evans to shore, where he died. Minutes later, a second British Gazelle helicopter, following the same route as the first, was raked raked by machine-gun fire from the Argentine platoon and shot down, killing the crew; Lt Ken France and Lance-Cpl Pat Giffin. The Argentinians eventually retreated from Fanning Head, abandoning their communications equipment. At least eight members of another Argentinian platoon who fled the scene were left behind and captured by the British. Argentine commandos of the 601 Commando Company shot down a GR3 Harrier on a reconnaissance mission on Port Howard with a Blowpipe missile. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Glover, bailed out, breaking his arm and collar bone in the process. He was taken prisoner by Argentine soldiers shortly afterward, and flown to a military hospital in Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina. Six Argentine pilots were killed during the operation. The invasion, part of the overall Operation Corporate, sparked a strong reply from the Argentine Air Force and the Argentine Naval Aviation which led to the Battle of San Carlos.

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T Battery (Shah Sujahs Troop) 12 Regiment Royal Artillery San Carlos Falklands War

T Headquarter Battery (Shah Sujah’s Troop) Royal Artillery was raised on 1st October 1838 at Delhi and Meerut. The troop was part of a 6000 strong force, which invaded Afghanistan in support of the deposed Shah Sujah of Mook. The Horse Artillery of the Shah’s Army was a double Battery of ten 6-pounder Guns and two 12-pounder Howitzers – virtually two Batteries; Captain W Anderson of the Bengal Artillery commanded it at this time. The Troop performed very creditably during the Afghan War and was favourably mentioned in routine orders. Following the assassination of the Shah in 1842 further British intervention became pointless and the Battery returned to Ferozepore. The Battery was then transferred into the India Army of the Honourable East India Company as 5 (Native) Troop 1 Brigade Bengal Horse Artillery. The Troop continued to serve with distinction during the first Seik War and on frontier expeditions where elephant transport was used for the guns. The Troop remained loyal throughout the Indian Mutiny and the siege or Delhi where Lt G A Rennie won the Victoria Cross. The outstanding service of the troop was awarded the Order of Merit. In 1859 the Native Horse and Field Artillery units of the Bengal Army were abolished. The native gunners of the Troop were pensioned off or transferred and the Troop joined the list of British units. In 1862 the East India Company’s Armies were absorbed into the Queens Army and the Troop became E Battery 2nd Horse Brigade Royal Artillery, so beginning its service as an RHA unit – subsequent changes in the title the Troop became T Battery in 1889 and served as such throughout the South African war. During the First World War the Battery moved to France with the British Expeditionary Force and in 1917 went to Italy though finished the war in France. After the war there was reduction in the size of the RHA and the battery became T Field Battery in 1924 and in 1926 received the honour title ‘Shah Sujah’s Troop’. The title not only recalled the former RHA status but also its origin in the service of a foreign Prince. At the outbreak of World War II the battery was part of 15 Fd Regiment and moved to the Middle Eastern Theatre in 1940. In 1944 they moved to Italy and as the war ended the battery regained its RHA status though only for 18 months as, in 1947 with further reorganisation they became part of 12 Anti-Tank Regiment. In 1950 the battery returned to Italy and re-equipped with Bofers and formed as T LAA Battery and assumed the role it has held until this present reorganisation. Up until 1982 the Battery served in BAOR, Singapore, Malaya, Borneo, Northern Ireland and England. Of particular note they were the first Royal Artillery unit to form the Queens Guard at Buckingham Palace in 1971. In April 1982 the battery joined 3 Commando Brigade as part of the Falklands Task Force. They landed at San Carlos on 21st May and were finally credited with 14 confirmed kills and 4-6 probable hits on enemy aircraft. After the return from the Falklands the Battery moved to BAOR in 1985 and converted to Tracked Rapier. It was Tracked Rapier that the Battery deployed to the Gulf War with in 1991 as part of 1st Armoured Division. They took part in the whole of the offensive operation though were not required to fire due to lack of enemy aircraft activity over the battlefield. On return from the Gulf to BAOR the Honorary title was moved to Headquarter Battery 12 Regiment, whilst the men were moved to 9 (Plassey) Battery of the same Regiment. As part of options for change the Battery was arms plotted with the Regiment from Napier Barracks in Dortmund to Dempsey Barracks, Sennelager and completed handover in October 1995 in readiness to undertake the challenging task of deploying to Cyprus as part of the UNFICYP in December 1995. The Battery was housed in ‘Ledra Palace Hotel’ and had a very successful tour. On returning to Germany in June 1996 the Battery converted to ADCIS (Air Defence Command Information System). The Regiment deployed in April 1998 to Armagh and South Armagh. After a very successful tour with many notable achievements attentions were drawn Ex Winter Dart 99 the first Regimental deployment of SP HVM. 1997 was predominantly occupied with the acceptance of HVM and the Regiment being warned for a NI tour, training started in Jan 1998 with T/HQ Battery personnel attached to the 3 other Battery’s of 12 Regiment doing a variety of jobs. In April 1999 T/HQ Battery formed a large portion of the JRRF CAD (Joint Rapid Reaction Force Close Air Defence) Troop and was part of the first live firing of HVM over land and sea at Utska, Poland and notably the first troops to deploy to Poland after they become the newest members of NATO. With tensions rising in Kosovo the JRRF Troop deployed to Macedonia on 29th March 1999 with the DADC crew providing the command and control for the UK’s AD from 4 Brigade HQ. By mid July the troops entered Kosovo and after 4 months deployment the air threat was deemed low enough for AD to be stood down and adopt an infantry role in which 25% of weapon recovery was credited to the CAD troop. With the safe return of the JRRF CAD Troop at the end of July 1999 the Regiment was once again warned for a Northern Ireland tour with the majority of T/HQ Battery involved. In June 2001 the Battery deployed to Cyprus on a United Nations Peace Keeping Tour based in Ledra Palace in the capital Nicosia. The tour was a complete success with relations between the Turkish and Cypriot communities benefiting from every soldiers efforts. In Jan 2003 the Battery deployed to the Gulf to fight the war on terrorism on Op Telic. This involved almost every element of the battery being used to its full potential, with the main effort placed with Airspace management and POW handling. T/HQ) Battery (Shah Sujah’s’ Troop) has the distinction of being the only unit except for 22 SAS to have served in every major conflict.

ARGENTINE AIR RAIDS ON BRITISH SHIPS IN SAN CARLOS FALKLAND ISLANDS 1982

I didn't talk much about the War when I firsts came home, but when I eventually opened up and said that I could see the pilots in their cockpits as they were that low, some people raised their eyebrows and doubted me, I think the above photos prove that I was not exaggerating, especially the middle photo of the Dagger, they were very brave pilots.

The Heroic battle to the end of HMS Antelope in the Falklands War

On 23 May 1982, while on air defence duty at the entrance to San Carlos Water, protecting the beachhead established two days before, she came under attack by four Argentine A-4B Skyhawks of Grupo 5. The first pair attacked from astern with the flight leader breaking off his attack after one of Antelope's Sea Cat SAMs exploded under the port wing of his aircraft. The pilot, Capitán Pablo Carballo, managed to nurse his aircraft back to Rio Gallegos. The second aircraft on this flight pressed home his bomb run and put a 1,000 pound bomb in the Antelope's starboard side, killing one crewman, Steward Mark R. Stephens. The bomb did not explode and the Argentine aircraft was damaged by small arms fire. The second pair of Skyhawks attacked minutes later from the starboard quarter. During this attack, one of the Argentine jets, piloted by First Lieutenant Luciano Guadagnini, was hit by the ship's 20mm cannon before crashing through Antelope's main mast. Guadagnini was killed, and his bomb pierced the frigate's hull, also without exploding. Antelope also fired a Sea Cat at what was believed to be a fifth attacker, but this was Capitán Carballo, who was still trying to establish if his aircraft was fit to fly. This missile missed, but passed less than 10 metres from Carballo's cockpit. After initial damage control efforts, Antelope proceeded to more sheltered waters so that two bomb disposal technicians from the Royal Engineers could come aboard and attempt to defuse the two unexploded bombs. One of the bombs was inaccessible because of wreckage; the other had been damaged and was thought to be in a particularly dangerous condition. Three attempts by the bomb disposal team to withdraw the fuse of this bomb by remote means failed. A fourth attempt using a small explosive charge detonated the bomb, killing Staff Sergeant James Prescott instantly and severely injuring Warrant Officer Phillips, the other member of the bomb disposal team. The ship was torn open from waterline to funnel, with the blast starting major fires in both engine rooms, which spread very quickly. The starboard fire main was fractured, the ship lost all electrical power, and the commanding officer, Commander Nick Tobin, gave the order to abandon ship. Tobin was the last person to leave the ship; about five minutes after his departure, the missile magazines began exploding.Credit (Wikipedia)   Falkland Islands R.I.P all those sailors that lost their lives.

FALKLANDS CONFLICT - Bomb Alley

FROM THE SEA

MIL INK (BOMB ALLEY) FALKLANDS WAR

This Tattoo is on the back of Sergeant Steve Brooks call sign 31 Delta T battery 12 Regiment Royal Artillery, showing Rapier Missiles defending ships at San Carlos in the 1982 Falklands War.