MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands' war veteran sheds light on South Georgia battle

Memorial crosse at Hope Point

One of the British Royal Marines at South Georgia and who was taken prisoner when the invasion of Argentine forces in 1982 has returned to visit the island with his wife Nina and told his story to the South Georgia News & Events.

Bob Ashton first visited the South Atlantic region in 1978 when he was stationed in the Falkland Islands. In 1982 Bob was one of the small party of Royal Marines (RMs) aboard "HMS Endurance", working as the ship's butcher. The ship came to South Georgia and Bob and other RMs were deployed from the ship to monitor the activities of the Argentine scrap metal merchants in the Stromness Bay area. On March 31st 1982 "HMS Endurance" was ordered to sail to the Falklands. Before she left, Bob and twenty-one other RMs, under the command of Lt Keith Mills, were landed at King Edward Point, KEP. Two days later, when news reached them of the invasion of the Falkland Islands, the men made defensive preparations. Bob, a machine gunner, and his No. 2 Jock Thompson, dug a shell scrape in the grassy area behind 'Quigleys' cottage. The next day an Argentine helicopter appeared suddenly over Hope Point, sending the men running for their trenches. Argentine troops were being landed at Grytviken by helicopter. Bob thinks he may have been the first person to open fire when the order was given. He fired several magazines at an Argentine Puma helicopter, forcing it to crash land on the slopes below Brown Mountain, before continuing fire on the ship "Guerrico". Later that day, faced with overwhelming numbers of enemy forces, no means of escape and with one Royal Marine badly injured, Lt Keith Mills ordered his men to lay down their arms and went to negotiate surrender terms. The men spent the next fortnight as prisoners aboard the Argentine ship "Bahia Paraiso" before being landed in Argentina. They were repatriated to the UK shortly after. Just a month later Bob arrived back in South Georgia aboard the cable-ship "Iris" to rejoin "HMS Endurance". On June 20th Bob was one of the small party of Royal Marines landed by helicopter on Southern Thule in the South Sandwich Islands. They quickly removed the 12 Argentineans occupying a small base there, and raised the British flag. Bob has been assisted to return to South Georgia by GSGSSI. He and his wife travelled on the Fishery Patrol Vessel "Pharos SG" and spent a fortnight staying at the Government Officer accommodation 'Carse House'. Bob said he wanted to show his wife the places where he had been and see what had happened to South Georgia since 1982. He said he is pleased to find that the people involved in running the Island are passionate about preserving what is special about the place. Bob and Nina spent much of their time walking, but also took on the job of refurbishing the three memorial crosses at Hope Point that commemorate soldiers who died whilst stationed on South Georgia between 1982 and 2000. They also refurbished the nearby Shackleton memorial cross.