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personnel had taken place. The BC, Mike Morgan with the SACC and some of the other NGFO teams had already deployed to various ships. The team members that were assigned to NGFO 2 were all men I had worked with on many occasions. All were enormously experienced and most importantly for me all had my utmost confidence in their abilities (I could only hope that there might be a degree of mutuality!) As the conflict unfolded our trust in each other would prove to be an absolutely vital component in the successful completion of our many and varied tasks. The NGFO 2 team members were:- Sergeant Harry (H) Jukes – our NGLO/mentor, my 2IC Bombardier “Jacko” Jackson, Gunner “Tich” Barfoot and RO1 “Stan” Hardy. Looking back over the years and my subsequent appointments in the army what has consistently struck me is the quality of the soldiers and sailors that I was privileged to serve with in 148 Battery. They were highly motivated men who had subjected themselves to all manner of selection procedures and demanding courses to arrive at and progress in this small and unique unit. However the single minded sense of purpose they displayed engendered an esprit de corps second to none. The worst possible imaginable disciplinary sanction that could befall any member of the Battery would be to be posted out or RTU’d.
NGFO 2 along with NGFO 5 lead by Captain Chris Brown (DRA designate as I write) were initially deployed on Op Paraquat which was the operation to recapture South Georgia. We had two NGS ships involved in the Op, the destroyer HMS Antrim and the Type 12 frigate HMS Plymouth. Both were equipped with a single semi- automatic Mk 6 turret with twin 4.5 inch barrels which fired a medium calibre shell out to a range of about 18,000 yards with a rate and weight of fire equivalent to a couple of batteries of field artillery. Just before the assault began on the main element of the Argentinean garrison in Grytviken, Chris had been landed by Wasp helicopter to establish an OP on Dartmouth Point overlooking the settlement. My team was also inserted by helicopter to the main HLS to accompany the main landing force for the advance. The initial fireplan was to conduct a rolling barrage in front of the advancing troops. We had orders not to destroy the settlement and the BAS buildings in particular and of course this consideration dictated the nature of our fireplan. The shape of King Edward Cove in which Grytviken is situated was a natural amphitheatre which provided the enemy a superb grandstand view of the persuasive nature of Naval firepower particularly as it crept closer and closer to their positions. In effect Chris from his OP had laid on a text book firepower demonstration with the ships firing some 180 salvoes. The enemy surrendered before we arrived at their locations.
The next morning the remainder of the Argentineans located at Stromness whaling station were similarly persuaded to surrender when Plymouth cleared her guns out to sea with an ear-shattering noise which echoed
around the bay. In fact the post-Op Paraquat report stated, “Consider the effect devastating and surrender indicated before fireplan completed. Demoralisation by NGS absolute”. Following that we re-deployed to take part in the pre D-Day bombardments and raids on the main Falkland Islands. I have several memories of those early days that will stay with me forever. First was a daylight bombardment of Port Stanley airfield on day one (1 May 92) of our attempt to recapture the Islands. Chris Brown was determined to be the first man of the Task Force to set foot on shore and this he duly did but also managed to get his helicopter shot up in the process! I was on the flight deck strapped into the standby/backup helicopter listening to the drama unfold. We had the task of following on to continue the mission should anything go wrong on Chris’s outing. I’m sure I didn’t have any grey hair before this particular episode! In the same vein RALONGS, Colonel Keith Eve, gave my hitherto non-existent grey hair another hefty boost. We were observing our NGS efforts in daylight co-located on the Gun Direction Platform of HMS Glamorgan when we became the subject of an air raid. Everybody else around was diving for what scant cover was available whereas Colonel Keith engaged me in a surreal conversation while we both remained standing in full view. (Let me just quickly attempt to put this incident in some sort of context by explaining that I had studied photography at college in a former life). The topic? Could I check that he had set the correct aperture and shutter speed on his camera to be able to “freeze” the attacking aircraft?!! Not surprisingly this was the last time that I was to control NGS in daylight!
After these initial bombardments and before D-Day the team was employed on various nightime bombardments which involved a great number of cross deckings from ship to ship. Included was a spell on board HMS Arrow when she went alongside to take off survivors from HMS Sheffield shortly after she has been hit by an Exocet missile. It is a sobering experience to witness a ship at such close quarters in its death throes and the effect that such an event has on her company, our own ship’s crew and of course ourselves in the NGFO team. It really was a very low point, difficult, if not impossible, to explain to anyone who has not experienced such a tragedy. We had been attacked previously on several occasions but this one on HMS Sheffield really was a wake up call and hammered home to all, both in the Task Force and the politicians at home that this was not an exercise and that we were playing for the highest stakes. On a brighter note, I had been on HMS Sheffield a few days earlier and had cashed a cheque with the pusser. So you imagine my consternation after the war when I heard that divers were being sent down to search the wreck. I had visions of my cheque being the very first item recovered! As it so happened the cheque never was cashed but I felt duty bound to pay the amount into the F.I. Fund. On balance I was delighted I was around and able to do so. It was a very small price indeed to pay.
28 | Amphibious Bombardment Association