Scram! (50 page)

Every squadron likes its formation fly pasts. These are some of our 847 Squadron Wessex celebrating the move from Port San Carlos to snow-covered Navy Point, opposite Port Stanley, a few days after the war. Stanley airfield is in the distance behind the helicopters.

Having arrived late for the war, 847 Squadron was probably the last active service unit to leave the Falkland Islands. We flew back in dribs and drabs first to Ascension by Hercules and then on to Brize Norton by VC10. I was very relieved to be back after four and a half months away. There was no official welcome for us. But my mum was happy.

Two years after the Falklands war, I'm in warmer climes as Lieutenant Benson RN, Wasp pilot and flight commander of HMS
Apollo
.

Index

(the initials HB refer to Harry Benson; page numbers in italic type refer to photographs)

The page references in this index correspond to the printed edition from which this ebook was created. To find a specific word or phrase from the index, please use the search feature of your ebook reader.

Aeromacchi 130, 131, 200, 201

air-raid warnings, explained 155

Ajax Bay 142, 144, 146, 156, 161, 185, 194, 196, 217, 231

Brigade Maintenance Area at 236

field hospital at 259, 265, 270, 319, 334–5,
335

Alacrity
, HMS 82, 89, 118, 176, 179, 181

Mirage jets' attack on 86

Albion
, HMS 19

Almirante Irizar
348

Ambuscade
173

Andrew, Sub-Lt HRH The Prince 96

Andromeda
, HMS 345

Anslow, Air Engineering Mechanic Adrian 182

Anstis, Lt Cdr Neil 103, 105, 286

Antelope
, HMS 148–50, 152

Antrim
, HMS 56, 57–8, 60–61, 64, 65,
82
, 142

bomb hits 133

and Fortuna Glacier rescue 12, 13, 15, 17

and San Carlos landing mission 121, 123, 126, 132–3

and
Santa Fe
65,
65

Apollo
, HMS 367,
367

Ardent, HMS 134

Argentine jets' attacks on 137–40

survivors abandon 142

Argentina:

aircraft losses suffered by 184

aircraft lost by 231

Britain's warnings ignored by 36

determination of, to sink British carrier 211

Falklands invaded by 2–3

formal surrender of 355

junta takes control of 2

National Day of 87, 160, 161–2

navy withdrawn by 88

renewed attempts by, to thwart British landings 147

SAS mission to mainland of 113

unexploded bombs of 133–4, 149

Argonaut
, HMS 130, 131, 140, 142

Arrow
, HMS 82, 86, 90, 91, 153–4, 198

jammed gun on 198

Mirage jets' attack on 86

Ascension Island:

amphibious fleet sets off from 96

arrivals on 56, 71

Intrepid
arrives at 96

landscape of 42

resupply operation at 186

Sea Kings on way to 93–4

as staging post 42, 68

Wessexes on way to 95–6

Wideawake airfield 42, 71, 79

Ashdown, Petty Officer ‘Splash' 256

and
Sir Galahad
261, 262

Astiz, Lt Alfredo 67

Atlantic Causeway
, SS 97, 100, 101, 222–3, 227–8, 229–30, 232–5, 248, 273, 331

Atlantic Conveyor
, SS xiv, 97–9,
100
, 116–17, 144, 160, 161, 170–82
passim
, 223

Argentines flush with success over sinking of 211

crew abandon 178–80

Exocet strikes 174

sinks 182, 213

autorotation 27

Avenger
, HMS 212, 242

Bahia Paraiso
219–21, 295

Balls, Petty Officer Arthur 81–2, 83, 84, 155–6,
156
, 187, 215–18, 219, 368

bodies collected by 216–18

and
Coventry
168–9

and hospital-ship inspection 219–21,
220

mentioned in Despatches 370

and Port Stanley operation 288–94, 298, 349

special mission of 197

Barrow, Capt. Mike 83

Baston, Lt Cdr David 97, 172, 175–6, 178–9, 181

BBC World Service 51, 72

irresponsible broadcast by 190

Belcher, Sgt 200

Bennett, Lt Alan ‘Wiggy' 78

and Pebble Island mission 111

on one-way mission 114, 115–16

Benson, Sub-Lt Harry:

becomes junglie 20, 31

campaign medal of 370

deck landings by 44–8, 103, 224

first solo aeroplane flight of 23

freezing-lake swim by 22

ground courses taken by 21

helicopter training of 23–4

joins 845 Naval Air Squadron 30–1

leaves Navy 368

magazine lost by 275

at Royal Naval College 18, 20

smoking quit by 224

thunderflash joke played on 29

training of 20–31

at Yeovilton 20–1

Berryman, Sub-Lt Andy ‘Boy', 56, 317, 331

and Fortuna Glacier 61

prisoner management by 66

Blight, Lt Cdr Chris 97

Bluff Cove 250, 251, 252, 253

Bob's Island 289

‘bollocks' 189, 268, 301–2

Booth, Lt Cdr Mike 38, 39, 41, 94, 103, 105, 225–6, 245, 272. 277, 284, 317, 318, 350–1, 352

flying experience of 285

honour for 369

long flying stint of 317

new squadron required of 99

Borneo 19

Boughton, Lt John 256–7, 258, 260–1

and
Sir Galahad
265, 267

Brickell, Cpl Mark 321, 322–4, 344

Brilliant
, HMS 63, 64, 142, 165

Britain:

aircraft lost by 231

Argentina ignores warnings of 36

defence cuts by 20, 69

military units of,
see
military units

ships lost to, numbers of 160

surrender of small force from 36

task force of 37, 68–70, 92, 113, 133, 160, 162

task force sent to South Thule by 2

Britannia Royal Naval College 18

British Antarctic Survey base, Argentines try to secure 36

British Tay
181

Broadsword
, HMS 109, 131, 132, 142, 162, 163, 164–70

Coventry
survivors offloaded onto 167

Brown, Sub-Lt Ian 118

Brunei 19

Bryant, Lt Ian 212–13

Bulldog 23

Bulwark
, HMS 19

Burns, Petty Officer Aircrewman Ginge 212–13

Cameron, Maj. Peter 257

Camilla Creek 202, 204, 208

Camilla Creek House 190, 196

Canberra bombers 86, 87, 232, 235, 310, 344

British-trained crews of 232

Canberra
, SS 69, 72, 98, 118–19, 130, 134, 142, 226, 232, 249

‘withdraw' order to 150

Candlish, Sgt Ed 128

Cape Dolphin 108, 111, 269

captaincy 267–8

Cardiff
, HMS 251, 267

Casey, Petty Officer Kevin ‘Ben' 72–3

Castlemartin 28–9

casualty evacuation (casevac) 129, 192, 214–15

chaff 81, 83, 136

Chapman, Lt Ian ‘Lapse' 174

Chinook xiv, 93, 99, 127, 161, 171, 188–9,
189
, 240, 301

missing 182

and Mount Kent mission 209–11

Choiseul Sound 250, 251, 270

Clamp, Petty Officer Jed 236, 337, 338, 342

Clark, Lt Cdr Hugh 255

and
Sir Galahad
263, 264, 267, 270

Clayton, Lt Chris 332–4

Colborne, Lt Ray 54, 224–5, 273, 277, 361–2

Commodore Amphibious Warfare 40

Conqueror
, HMS 88

Cooper, David 218

Cooper, Sub-Lt Stewart 7, 9, 12, 17, 58

Cortley Hill 348

Coryton, Lt Cdr Gervais 312

Coventry
, HMS 163, 164–5, 166–70, 207

bombs hit 166

completely inverted 170

Crabtree, Lt Mike ‘Crabbers' 27, 70, 94, 96, 158–9, 161, 185, 187, 195, 344–5

Heathcote reprimanded by 170

on San Carlos landing mission 121–6, 131, 134–5, 137, 139, 140

Crippa, Guillermo 131

Cudmore, Cdr Mike 254–5, 270

Cummins, Ldg Aircrewman Neil 31, 32, 34, 300

Curtis, Lt Al 105

Dagger 131, 133, 142, 147, 152, 162, 259, 332–3

Ardent
attacked by 137–8

Darwin 120, 121, 134, 137, 190–1, 198–9, 216

Delves, Maj. Cedric 58, 121

Dillon, Able Seaman John 138–9, 140–2

Doughty, Ldg Aircrewman Al 307, 308–9, 314–15, 334–5, 336, 342

Dowling, Maj. Patricio 295

Doyne-Ditmas, Lt Phil 52

Dransfield, Lt Cdr John 64, 139

Drennan, Capt. Sam 347

Dudley, Lt Cdr Keith 355

‘dunker' 22–3

Dytor, Lt Clive 306

Eales, Sub-Lt Martin 116

East Falkland 1, 108, 118, 142, 161, 163, 206, 213

Egglestone, Ldg Aircrewman Roy 258

and
Sir Galahad
265

Eke, Petty Officer Chris 103, 273, 279, 280, 282, 285, 345

Elephant Island 250, 252

Elk
, MV 72

Ellerbeck, Lt Cdr Tony 57, 63, 64

Endurance
, HMS 2, 36, 49, 56, 63, 64

Engadine
, RFA 100–1,
104
, 224–6, 245, 246, 272–4

task force joined by 245

Enticknap, Chief Petty Officer Ken 138–9, 140–2

Estancia Creek 210

Estancia House 78, 213, 308, 354

Evans, Sgt Andrew 128

Evans, Sub-Lt Brian 263

Evans, Lt Mark ‘Jayfer' 96, 201–2, 203–4, 220, 278–9, 280, 282, 324, 328, 329, 330

Exeter
, HMS 212, 253, 258, 344

Eyton-Jones, Lt-Cdr John 105

Falkland Islands:

Argentine force invades 2–3, 38

British task force sets sail to 68–70

Concordia Rock 75, 77

continuing night insertions into 116

difficult terrain of 207

history of 1–2

large force of Argentines lands on 36

penguins on 1, 269, 363

Port Stanley becomes new capital of 2

San Carlos amphibious landing,
see
San Carlos amphibious landing

Total Exclusion Zone (TEZ) around 76, 88, 105, 226

weather greatest challenge in 307

see also individual areas, features

Falkland Sound 108, 118, 131, 134, 137, 143, 148, 162, 192, 197, 203, 253, 259, 269

Falklands War:

Argentines' formal surrender in 355

Black Buck raids during 79–80

burial of dead during 218, 344

clean-up after 361

deaths during, Argentinian 36, 37, 88, 106, 205, 214, 271, 305, 344, 349

deaths during, British 72–3, 90, 105, 119, 128, 130, 134, 138, 142, 149, 158, 166, 170, 171, 180, 182, 196, 199, 200, 205, 214, 215, 267, 270, 305, 306, 347, 349

final British action of 354

first fatality of 73

first set-piece battle of 191

‘for-real' beginning of 76–7

and Goose Green,
see
Goose Green