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of some of our equipment, in particular I would cite our issued boots.
Any recollections of the conflict would not be complete if the phenomenal welcome we encountered on homecoming and the aftermath were not mentioned. The Battery returned on Canberra and it is true to say we were quite overwhelmed by the reception we received. All the way along the south coast from Lands End we encountered flashing headlamps from every headland and huge crowds at every port en route and a vast accompanying flotilla of small boats and yachts with us all the way into Southampton. The dock sides were packed solid with thousands of people, relations, friends and well wishers. Quite beyond our comprehension (bearing in mind our almost total isolation from the media over several months). However this blissful ignorance was shattered as the media were helicoptered aboard en masse and I remember well a conversation between a colleague and a hack which went along the line; Hack: “I understand they are going to issue a medal for the campaign”. Colleague: “Yeah, I take it you’re referring to Maggie Thatcher’s re-election campaign”! Of course we were all delighted to be home but nevertheless there was an underlying sentiment that subscribed to the notion that we had just been doing our job and what was all this fuss about? That didn’t phase some of our more pragmatic number who had already worked out that their best chance of free beers and luck with the ladies that night would be to run ashore in uniform! In common with many I took a considerable time to slow down and readjust to “normal” in barracks life. Indeed as we are now well aware many
veterans of the campaign never have managed this transition or at best have done it with great difficulty. This will undoubtedly be an ongoing process and it is an area where I believe organisations like our Association canhaveanimportantroletoperform.Itisaframework that provides a support network if needed, a conduit for individuals that enables them to maintain contacts with like minded characters who through shared experiences will at least understand when they start to bang on! It also gives members the opportunity to continue to be exposed to a camaraderie of a sort that is rarely, if ever, replicated in civilian life. In conclusion, I wouldn’t necessarily want to do it all again but at the same time in our business to have had the opportunity to experience battle first hand is the ultimate test “exercise”. I just feel enormously grateful that I had experienced it in a small close knit, well trained, highly motivated and proficient team within an organisation such as the Battery and Regiment. With this group I also had the additional privilege of being exposed to the indefatigable spirit of “Tommy Atkins”, his sense of humour (as often as not black) and his remarkable capacity to improvise and survive in the face of extreme adversity. There is no doubt that the experiences shifted my perspective of life. Not only did it give me a greater appreciation of the gift that life is but also a determination not to waste what I had/have left of it. As a result it has left me better able to focus sharply on what I consider to be the important things in life. Professionally I suppose if I did come back with anything approaching crusading zeal it was over the matter of personnel selection, standards of training and equipment in the Armed Forces.
SOUTHERN THULE – THE LAST OPERATION OF THE FALKLANDS WAR 1982
by Ex WO2 Brum Richards
Brum Richards, who will be well known to many readers, was BSM of 148 Bty from 1977 to 1982. He enlisted in the Gunners in Jan 63 and, after basic training, spent the next eighteen years rising through the world of NGS until Apr 82 when Op CORPORATE afforded him the opportunity of putting what he had learnt, and taught, into practice – and more. During his service in the NGS world, he has served at various times in 20 Bty, 148 Bty, 3 Tp and 95 FOU in all the usual NGS stations across the world, and in keeping with our tradition has exercised almost everywhere else. During this time he has not only operated with the full range of specialist UK force elements, but also with US forces and the Royal Netherlands Korps Mariner. In addition to having wide experience in the NGSFO role, Brum is qualified and experienced as a member of a SACC and as a NGLO. Active service first came his way in the RADFAN in 1964 and in Singapore later that year due to the Indonesian landings, in BORNEO twice during “confrontation”, and most importantly during Op CORPORATE in the spring of 1982. Here he had the unique distinction of serving as an NGLO,
not only throughout the main Falkland Islands actions firing some 2400 rounds from various RN ships, but also in the two subsidiary components of CORPORATE, namely Op PARAQUAT, the recapture of South Georgia, and Op KEYHOLE, the recapture of Southern Thule in the South Sandwich Islands – the last operation of the Falklands War. As a result of his actions during Op CORPORATE he was awarded a Mention in Despatches.
Early on the morning of 15th June 1982 I was on board HMS YARMOUTH stationed on the northern gunline overlooking Stanley, just in case there was a need for NGS. At 0111 hrs Zulu we heard that the surrender was now official but the Argentinian Airforce would continue to fight on. Maybe just sabre rattling but the chance was too great to ignore and the risk to ships was still such that at 0430 hrs we slipped away and made for the RV with the main Carrier Group to the East. It would have been unthinkable to leave ships stationed so close to land had the Argentinian Air Force made one last mass
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