MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Three marines return to Falklands to keep a pint promise

Next November 2, three Falklands veterans are returning to the Islands to keep a promise they made 25 years ago at the start of the conflict: “yomp” 75 miles to claim a pint of beer in Port Stanley.

Then they were young, --two were 21 and one was 26--, best friends and they thought they were invincible. They were Royal Marine Troop Commanders in Yankee Company, 45 Commando Group.

Ahead of them was a 75 mile march, with 15,000 Argentineans in the way but, hey, they had some Paras to keep them company ? and some Ghurkhas ? and the three friends promised each other a pint at the end of it.

But first they had to get past Two Sisters Mountain. It was a brutal affair which saw some of the fiercest fighting of the Falklands War. The Argentineans were well dug in and put up a stubborn resistance.

Paul Denning, 21, now Colonel Paul Denning, Commanding Officer, Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines, HM Naval Base Clyde, went down with a bullet in his leg.

John Davies, 21, now Lieutenant Colonel John Davies, Commanding Officer Royal Marine Reserves Merseyside, was nearly killed by shrapnel wound in his neck.

Only Andy Shaw, 26, who now lives on a boat in Ibiza, made it to Port Stanley.

But now all three are going back ? Royal Marine Commandos tend to keep a promise. And when they have "yomped" the original 75 miles from Ajax Bay to Port Stanley they'll have that long awaited pint. On the way they will achieve three things: they will remember, for their own sakes, the 25th anniversary of the Falklands War; raise thousands of pounds for the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Children's Fund and will renew bonds of friendship which have lasted a lifetime.

Col Denning said: "Two of us never got to the top of Two Sisters Mountain, never mind all the way to Port Stanley. There was some serious fighting and the Argentineans made it quite a battle.

"But a promise is a promise and I think it will be very interesting for us all to see the Falklands Islands again, and to walk the 75 miles that were in the original plan.

"We know that the people of Port Stanley are looking forward to welcoming us and I suspect we might be in for more than just that one pint

"It is fantastic that Babcock Naval Services, HM Naval Base Clyde's industrial partner, have sponsored the whole thing and that we will raise a lot of money for a very deserving charity."

The three fly out from Brize Norton on November 2 and will yomp for four or five days, depending on conditions.

Col Denning added: "We had only finished training in 1981 but had spent some time together in Northern Ireland and Brunei. In those kinds of circumstances you tend to forge very strong friendships.

"We were in Hong Kong when things started to happen and I remember that we only had time to change our warm weather kit for winter combat outfits and then we were on our way to the South Atlantic.

"It seems a lifetime away and a lot happened. It will be quite an experience to go back again."

Picture shows: left, Col Paul Denning, Andy Shaw and Lt Col John Davies. (RN)