Lord Peter Carrington - Foreign Secretary 1919-

Rt Hon Peter Alexander Rupert Carrington, the 6th Baron Carrington, the Old Fox to his respectful peers. Lord Carrington has had an extraordinary political career, serving in the Lords as the impeccable courtier to six Tory prime ministers, starting with Winston Churchill. The original Lord C was a banker but, as the ancestral line continued, the family distanced itself from that dirty business and was forced to sell the ancestral pile, Wycombe Abbey, to a girl’s school. An ex-Minister of Defence and Foreign Secretary, and Secretary-General of NATO.

ACM Sir Peter T Squire, GCB DFC AFC ADC RAF 1945-2018

Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter T Squire, was Chief of the Air Staff during the start of both Operation Veritas and Coperation Telic.

Sir Peter was commissioned into the RAF in 1966. Following initial officer training at the RAF College Cranwell and subsequent flying training, Sir Peter flew Hunters and later,Harriers.

In 1982 Wing Commander Squire was commanding officer of the RAF's Number 1 Fighter Squadron of Harriers when it was hurriedly mobilised as part of the Falklands Task Force. His squadron of ten Harriers flew a total of 151 sorties, two a day for each pilot, mainly ground attack and battlefield air interdiction, in dangerous low-level flying which took a heavy toll. Four of the Harriers were brought down, and another three damaged, leaving only three unscathed. They became the first RAF aircraft to operate from an aircraft carrier, HMS Hermes, since the Second World War. Wing Commander Squire flew his Harrier off the cargo vessel, Atlantic Conveyor only a few days before she was sunk by an Argentine exocet missile. From then on, he was in the thick of the action, day after day, with no respite, attacking Stanley Airport and other Argentine targets. In a pioneer mission, he became the first ever RAF pilot to launch a laser-guided "smart" bomb ? attacking Argentine troops on Mount Longdon. He had narrow escapes when he crash landed at Port San Carlos airstrip, and again just days before the war ended when a blowpipe missile exploded near his Harrier, and a bullet penetrated the cockpit, almost hitting him. After the war, engine failure forced him to eject before his aircraft crashed into the sea off Cape Pembroke

Captain Christopher Wreford-Brown DSO RN 1945-

Christopher Wreford-Brown was captain of the Conqueror, which sank Argentina's General Belgrano. The submarine returned to Faslane flying the Jolly Roger (skull and crossbones), the flag that is traditionally raised when returning from a successful combat mission.

 

 Christopher Wreford-Brown commanded the frigate HMS Cornwall, the diesel sub HMS Opossum and the nuclear subs HMS Valiant and HMS Conqueror.

Captain Michael Clapp CB RN 1932-

Michael Clapp joined the Royal Navy in 1950 from Marlborough College. As a midshipman, he served in the Far East during the Korean campaign. In 1954 he was boarding officer capturing a caique running guns into Cyprus. In 1955, he was appointed to No. 1 Long Observer Course, expecting to specialise in anti-submarine warfare. His first operational flying tour was, however, with 849 Airborne Early Warning Squadron. In 1959, after a series of flying courses, he was posted to Ferranti Ltd to assist in test flying the weapon system for the Buccaneer Mk 1 finally joining 700 Z Flight, the Intensive Flying Trials Unit.
In 1962, he was the Senior Observer of 801 Squadron, then the first operational Mk 1 Buccaneer squadron. They embarked in HMS Ark Royal and Victorious and sailed for the Far East and tropical trials returning home in January 1964. He returned to the Far East to command HMS Puncheston, a Minesweeper, during Indonesian Confrontation when he was mentioned in despatches.
In late 1965 he took command of 801 Squadron now equipped with the Buccaneer Mk 2. The Squadron once again embarked in HMS Victorious and sailed for the Far East and tropical trials.
After a brief stay at the Joint Warfare Establishment, he had two ship commands, HMS Jaguar and HMS Leander. He also completed two tours in the Naval Staff of the MOD and one as the executive officer of HMS Norfolk completing Exocet trials at Toulon. Later he was the Naval Director of the Joint Maritime Operational Training Staff.
In 1981 he was appointed Commodore Amphibious Warfare and commanded the landings and inshore operations in the Falklands conflict in 1982 for which he was made a CB.

Vice Admiral Sir John Coward KCB DSO 1937-

Vice Admiral Sir John Coward was The Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies from 1992 until 1994. The Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies was a UK senior serving military officer between 1972 and 2001. The post rotated through the three branches of the armed forces in turn. There had been one civilian Commandant, Alistair Buchan, in 1971 when the old Imperial Defence College became the Royal College of Defence Studies. In 1991, the post was downgraded to 3 star, and then in 2001, it was opened up to competition through public advertisement. Subsequent incumbents have as yet both been senior retired military officers.

During the Falklands Conflict, HMS Brilliant was commanded by Captain John Coward. HMS Brilliant (F90) was a Type 22 frigate of the Royal Navy.

She was part of the Task Force that took part in the Falklands War. There, her two helicopters were involved in attacking the Argentine submarine Santa Fe. She was the first Royal Navy warship to fire the Seawolf missile in anger when, on 12 May 1982, she shot down three aircraft. On 21 May HMS Brilliant came under Argentine air attack outside San Carlos Water and was slightly damaged by cannon fire. She rescued 24 survivors from Atlantic Conveyor on 25 May.

Commodore Neill Thomas CBE DSC

801 Sea Harrier Squadron, HMS HERMES

Commodore Neill Thomas joined the Royal Navy in 1963 and commenced his flying training in 1965. He trained on the Jet Provost/ Hunter and flew Sea Vixens and F-4 Phantoms extensively from the old Ark Royal before commanding the Sea Harrier HQ Squadron (Trials, Operational Training and Chief Tactical Instructor for the Sea Harrier). He was embarked with his squadron in HMS Hermes during Operation Corporate in 1982. Following attendance of the Joint Service Defence College in 1984 he served on Operational and Ministry of Defence Staffs before being appointed to the new Ark Royal in command of her Air Group (Commander (Air)) in 1990. He then carried out language training before his appointment to South Korea as Naval and Air Attaché. On returning, he studied at the NATO Defence College in Rome followed by appointment to the NATO Airborne Early Warning Force Command, initially as Deputy then as the Force Commander.
He was awarded the CBE in 2000 and DSC in 1982. He retired from the Royal Navy in 2001.

Lt Col Ewen Southby-Tailyour OBE RM

Ewen Southby-Tailyour OBE RM is an author, sailor, and ex-Marine who served for 32 years in the Royal Marines, working with (and often commanding) amphibious vessels from all the NATO countries. He has held various appointments in four Commando units. His career included active service operations in Aden, Northern Ireland, Oman, the Falkland Islands, Hong Kong and thirteen winters in the Norwegian Arctic developing the use of fast raiding and assault craft for supporting commando operations. He also served in the US, West Indies, the North Sea (oil-rig protection), Cyprus, Corsica, Malta, Bahrain, the Yemen, Kuwait and the South Atlantic (before the Falklands (Malvinas) War). He was attached to the USMC in 1977 in the eastern Mediterranean and, earlier for six months, to the French Commando Hubert in Toulon with which he attended their combatant nageur course. He was seconded for two years as a reconnaissance platoon and company commander with the Sultan of Muscat's Armed Forces during the Dhofar War.

During the Falklands (Malvinas) War he was the navigation adviser to 'the command' as well as commander of the Task Force Landing Craft Squadron.
His final four years were spent on the staffs of the Commandant General, Royal Marines, and the Director General Surface Ships (Amphibious Group), helping to design and procure the next generation of amphibious shipping and craft, most notably the LPH, LPD, LCVP Mk 4 and the LCU Mk 10

Lt Steve Thomas RN

Lt Cdr S.R. Thomas DSC R.N. was a member of 801 Sqdn. flying Sea Harriers from H.M.S Invincible during the Falklands War. He ws credited with 3 air victories, a mirage 111EA on 1st May and 2 Daggers on 21st May 1982. He had been on Squadron for 10 months when the war started. Flew 51 combat missions of which 10 were at night. In 1985 he was serving as a Test Pilot on Sea Harriers, GR3 and GR5's.

MGen Sir Jeremy Moore KCB OBE MC 1928-2007

Major General Sir Jeremy Moore was the commander of the British Land Forces who won the Falklands War.

The General joined the Royal Marines straight from school in 1947 and spent the next 36 years in that Corps. No sooner was his training over than he was sent to Malaya where he won his first Military Cross in the Emergency action there. Subsequently his posts varied from Housemaster of the Royal Marines School of Music, Instructor of NCO's School and of the RMA Sandhurst, Company Commander and service at the Brunei Revolt. He served in the 17 Gurkha Division and from 1966 was Assistant Secretary to the Chiefs of Staff Committee at the MOD.
He received the OBE in 1973 and became Major General in 1979, which placed him, as he put it himself, "in a position to be given the command of the land forces in the Falkland Islands". Under his command, they won.

Sir John F. "Sandy" Woodward GBE KCB 1932-2013

Sir John Forster "Sandy" Woodward is a British Admiral who joined the Royal Navy in 1946 at age thirteen. He became a submariner, and received his first command, the Valiant-class nuclear hunter-killer submarine Warspite in 1969.
In 1978 he was appointed to the Ministry of Defence. Woodward was promoted to Rear Admiral and in 1981 appointed Flag Officer First Flotilla. In 1982 he commanded the South Atlantic Task Groups in the Falklands War under the Commander-in-Chief Lord Fieldhouse. For his efforts during the war Woodward was knighted.

In 1983 Woodward was appointed Flag Officer Submarines and NATO Commander Submarines Eastern Atlantic. In 1984 he was promoted to Vice Admiral, and in 1985 he was a Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff. Before retirement in 1989 he also served as C in C Naval Home Command and Flag Aide-de-Camp to the Queen.

Sir John William Frederic Nott 1932-

Sir John William Frederic Nott is a former a British Conservative Party Politician prominent in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He featured heavily in the public eye as Secretary of State for Defence during the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands and the subsequent War.

Sir Rex Masterman Hunt Kt CMG 1926-2012

Sir Rex Masterman Hunt was the British Governor of the Falkland Islands between 1980 and September 1985 with a 3 month gap between 2 April 1982 and 25 June 1982, during the occupation by Argentine armed forces.