The Canberra postcard
Forestal
Engineer Germán Andrés STOESSEL
This story is not actually
a story, even less a fiction. It is a report rescued from oblivion, which in
this case does not begin on April 2 but on May 28 (or also May 31) and for
many, June 14, 1982 as well.
It is a tale, which
although began as one,it became more tan that as a resultof a network of events
and gestures.
This story is an ongoing
development, new testimonies are incorporated and honestly, I don't know how
many parts will it have but here we go.
Part 1- Brian,
drummer and Royal Marine
When British Brian Short enlisted, his passion
for percussion led him to join the Royal Marines
Band Service or Commando Forces Band,
as it was known. He never thought that his passion for music (along with a
family past linked to the RM) would lead him to participate in a war. A war
that would occur far from his base in Plymouth, on islands that many did not
know even how to locate on the map: The Malvinas Islands.
The entire Commando Forces Band was notified
of their deployment to the South Atlantic, with a new war role: to integrate
the Royal Navy Medical Squad.
They left on April 9, in a recently
requisitioned liner: the SS Canberra.
These new functions, represented more than
anything an adventure, since many of them, considered that the matter would not
pass to greater and would be solved soon.
They were wrong.
Jazz band formed in the SS Canberra,
during the South Atlantic trip.
Martin Dale, George Tate, Bruno Brown and Brian
Short (on drums). Approximate date: Between April 15 and May 20, 1982. (Kindly submitted by Brian Short)
Part 2-The war is real.
The SS Canberra,
was a passenger cruiser (powered by steam turbines, hence the SS, Steam Ship) that was requisitioned
by the British forces and recommissioned (with its civilian crew on board) to
transport troops to the South Atlantic. The order came when she was in the
Mediterranean and should head to Southampton for her new mission.
After 17,000 km of navigation, the musical routines,
exercises and preparations stopped. They had reached the Malvinas. The SS Canberra was part of the naval force
that landed in San Carlos on May 21.
During the following days, the musicians would lower
supplies and receive wounded. Now, as part of the Medical Squad, they were
under the command of Surgeon Commander Dr. Rick Jolly, who moved part of the SS Canberra facility to the makeshift
hospital in Ajax Bay.
These musicians transformed into assistance
personnel now had to receive the Marine Corps with whom they shared the
journey. The war was real and very close. They were able to witness the
recklessness of the Argentine pilots in their air attacks and also see frigates
sinking nearby. After the landing on May 21, a series of well-known events in
the history of the Malvinas War would take place: the confrontation at height
234, the advance of British paratroopers and combat over Darwin / Goose Green..
Once the surrender had taken place,many of those
wounded combatants (Argentines, from Regiments 25 and 12, GAA4, RI 8), would be treated by Surgeon Captain Rick
Jolly, and later sent to SS Canberra.
The same thing would happen days later, on May 31st,
when in Top Malo House special forces face off: our soldiers from a section of Commando Company 602, facing British soldiers from the Mountain and Arctic Warfare.
The wounded were transferred to the Hospital in Ajax
Bay, and henceforth to SS Canberra.
Brian's role now was no longer to play music, now he
had to receive and guard the enemy. The enemy were our soldiers, and many of
them were badly wounded.
It's weird, or hard to understand, but those enemies
were fighting and dying just hours before and now, they shared a place on a
passenger cruise ship, where the British healed and guarded our own.
Route
covered by the British Task Force: Portsmouth - Ascension Island – Malvinas Islands.
Approximately 17000 km of navigation.
Corporal Brian Short, guarding wounded prisoners. (Image credits: Brian Short)
Wounded Argentines, in the SS Canberra.
From left to right: Lt. Humberto
Martínez, 1st Lieutenant Luis Brun, 1st Sergeant Humberto Medina. Members of
the section of Captain Vercesi, from Commando Company 602 who fought at Top Malo House. They are
attended by Dr. Mayner. Image of the first days of June.(kindly submitted by Luis Brun, author unknown)
Part 3. Heading to Puerto Madryn:
with scars in his body and wounds in his soul
On June 10-11 the final attacks of
the British forces began, on the defensive fence surrounding Puerto Argentino.
On these dates and until June 14, the fighting occurred at Mount Harriet,
Williams, Two Sisters, Tumbledown, Longdon, Sapper Hill, and Wireless Ridge.
After bloody fighting, everything would end with the Argentine surrender on
June 14.Later, the prisoners would meet at the BAM Malvinas area (the airport).
The SS Canberra's capacity was 3,351 passengers, and after that date it
had 4,144 Argentine prisoners on board, in addition to its civilian crew and
British military personnel.
The interior of the cruise ship
went from having two restaurants and several dance floors, to having rooms with
beds and two surgical teams, where 84 operations were carried out (on wounded
soldiers from both sides). Dr. Peter Mayner and his team took part in those
surgeries.
Due to the fighting, part of the
blood bank reserves had to be brought ashore by the Surgical Field Team, in
order to supply the lack of blood in SS
Canberra. The Argentine prisoners of war offered themselves as blood
donors.
Meanwhile, Brian and his band would
alternate musical routines with the prison guard duties and this would lead him
to exchange words with some soldiers who spoke English, with others who asked
for cigarettes, and even those who would talk about their places of origin and
their families.
On Saturday, June 19, the captain of
the SS Canberra, D.J. Scott Mason
(*), spotted the Patagonian coasts, hoisting
the Argentine flag finally docked at the Admiral Storni dock, Puerto Madryn,
in Chubut province. (**)
There was only one more thing left:
before stepping down the dock, Brian would ask a group of prisoners he guarded
to sign a memento of their war time. He took a Menu and more than 20 Argentine
soldiers willingly signed the paper: the
Canberra postcard.
Our soldiers, step down with scars in
their bodies and wounds in their souls. It would take 38 years to hear from
them again.
(*) Dennis John Scott Mason, Captain of
the SS Canberra during the 1982
conflict. P&O Cruise Line. Martin
Reed, Merchant Marine Captain, Chief
Officer of the SS Canberra during
1982.
(**)
On June 19, one of the most moving episodes took place, when the inhabitants of
Puerto Madryn gathered to receive our soldiers, bringing them bread and flags.
On
June 19, 1982, Corporal Brian Short asked the soldiers for their signature in a
paper he kept as a souvenir. There were the names of more than 20 soldiers,
whose names remained more than 38 years. (Kindly
submitted by Brian Short).
On
the right lower corner we may read: For
an English friend. I hope the war won´t be a cause of grudge among us and
on the left upper corner: Thanks for
making us feel well.
Puerto
Madryn from the deck of the SS Canberra. June 19, 1982. (image credit to whom it may concern)
The SS
Canberra approaching Puerto Madryn, escorted by the Type 42 Destroyer ARA Santisima Trinidad. June 19, 1982. (image credit to whom it may concern)
Part 4- This is the
story of Ariel, a soldier from Mar del Plata.
Ariel Darío Tascón was a conscript soldier, from the
601 Air Defense Artillery Group who integrated the 1st Section of the Firing
Battery “A”, which operated an Oerlikon 35 mm twin cannon with a Skyguard fire
control unit. They were under the command of Artillery Lieutenant Alejandro
Dachary. During the afternoon of June 2, they took up a new position, clinging
to the cold, damp peat outside of Puerto Argentino.
At dawn on June 3, a British Avro Vulcan bomber that
had departed from Ascension Island, was already flying over a low, closed sky
over Puerto Argentino equipped with
anti-radar Shrike missiles. The bomber picked up the weak signal from Lt.'s
Dachary Skyguard director. They were in the crosshairs.
That morning, Ariel Tascon was on duty and was
relieved at 6:17 by Private Silva. A plane was heard behind a closed sky (out
of artillery range) and at 6:20 a.m. there was a thunderous impact of a missile
in the place that Ariel had occupied until minutes ago.
The strike killed Lt. Alejandro Dachary, 1st
Sergeant Rene P. Blanco, and soldiers Oscar Daniel Diarte and Jorge Alberto
Llamas.
In the days that ensued, the crew was to be
reorganized .The Oerlikon 35mm twin tube continued to operate, but manually.
As the days went by, many soldiers were really
complicated by exposure to the island environment: continuous cold and
humidity, which for many led to standing in the trench. And Ariel Tascon was
one of them.On the final day, June 14, he would find himself dragging his bleeding
left foot.
On June 16, he was transferred to SS Canberra, in a jeep along with other
wounded. Dr. Mayner was commissioned to begin the treatment of Ariel´s left foot
Skyguard Shooting Director and
his crew. From the left: Sgt. Micheli, Private Jorge Llamas, Lieutenant
Dachary, Sgt. Rene P. Blanco (on the stairs), and behind him, soldier Oscar Diarte. (image credits to whom it may concern)
Oerlikon 35 mm twin tube gun. 1st
Section Shot Battery "B", GADA 601, located northeast of Sapper Hill.
(image credits to whom it may concern)
Part 5. They
say that time heals wounds.
When I found Brian Short's postcard, the
next step was to look for him! Brian was surprised that someone from Argentina
contacted him.
The first War Veteran I looked for was Ariel
Tascón, for the forcefulness and clarity of his message: For an English friend: that the war may have not been the cause of any
grudges between us" (Ariel J. Tascón, June 19,1982)
“I am
fascinated to hear that someone on the Argentine side has seen the postcard
that he signed so many years ago, and I would be grateful to be able to contact
him,”
wrote Brian.
In his days aboard the SS Canberra, Ariel was surprised by the
cordiality and respectful treatment, the humane treatment without rancor, on
the part of the medical and civilian personnel, as well as the treatment of the
armed musicians (the Royal Marines).
For this reason, that June 19, 1982,
before disembarking in Puerto Madryn, Ariel took a postcard and a pen, and
asked the Royal Marines to sign it as a souvenir. They all signed. He did the
same as Brian Short.
Amazing isn't it?
Later, Ariel was transferred to the Campo de Mayo Military Hospital, where
he was admitted and the healing continued. Skin grafts were performed, until
his foot was recovered. He was lucky and had good medical care.
They say time heals wounds. Ariel was
able to travel with his family to the Malvinas Islands in 2018, visit his
position, and walk the graves of his companions (in Darwin).
A month ago, he was able to thank as
well to Dr. Mayner for the cures and
care. Yes, we could find the doctor too.
Clinical admission file, prepared by medical personnel of the SS Canberra, of the Argentine soldier Ariel Tascon. 19-6-82. (Kindly submitted by Ariel Tascon)
Words are unnecessary
Part 6. Jorge Marchesini, from Saavedra
to Goose Green
"I was born a soldier, at my hometown in the Barrio de Saavedra in
the Federal Capital, I armed battles with my plastic soldiers, even had
artillery, a cannon with a spring that allowed me to throw pieces of paper as ammunition.
Unthinkable that in the future a battle was going to become true ”.
Jorge joined
the General Arenales 12th Infantry
Regiment, as part of the Mercedes Task Force, whose mission was to defend
Darwin Goose Green and provide defense to the Condor Air Base located in the same area.
On the
morning of May 28, the British sustained their attack on Darwin, so a section
of the Comando y Servicios company of
RI 12 organized as infantry were involved in that area. On that cold morning, a
Pucará from the Malvinas Military Air Base unloaded its rockets targeting the
British infantrymen of the 2nd Parachute Regiment.
Come on fuck!
Long live the Homeland! Long live the infantrymen of RI12, the brave pilot who
passed low over their heads.
But, in the
following minutes, the area would be hit by enemy mortars and artillery fire,
and a rain of shrapnel and splinters hit the RI12 fighters. On that cold
morning of May 28th everything was smoke, confusion and blood
1st Corporal Jorge
Marchesini, an ammunition supplier, was hit by a splinter in his left arm which
caused a deep wound and intense bleeding. He tried to withdraw, but then a comrade helped him by holding his right arm
and loading him into an ambulance which took him to the infirmary in Darwin.
During the
early morning of May 29, despite the enormous effort and sacrifice made, there
was a cease-fire and surrender of the
Green Goose garrison. The wounded were transferred by Sea King helicopters to
the British beachhead in the San Carlos Strait.On the way down, Jorge watched
from above the smoking British frigates, hit by an Argentine air attack.
Once lowered
and placed on a stretcher, a British nurse asked Jorge if he was allergic to
penicillin, to which Jorge said “No”,
so he received a shot of antibiotic. Somewhat calmer, he was transferred to the
SS Canberra along with other wounded,
Argentine and British.
At the SS Canberra, Jorge underwent surgery on
his arm, and he remembered the nurses´faces :
“I remember their masks when entering the operating room; they looked at me
with angry faces. I think the surgeon noticed my nervousness before being
anesthetized as he hold my hand and told me to be calm accompanying his words
with the gesture of thumbs up. It was Dr. Peter Mayner ”.
Today, in the inexorable distance of
time, Jorge is not sure of faces or names, but in several telephone
communications, he shared with me isolated details and fully detailed memories,
in which smoke seemed to be smelled or detonations heard. Jorge would be the
first to mention a man and a woman, a married couple:
“After the
surgery, I had contact with two extraordinarily kind souls, which I am fully
sure, marked my recovery both physically and mentally, the Taylor marriage:
Frank and Anna.They made us feel that war there no longer existed, they took
care of us as if we were his children, even teaching us to be thankful ”.
Company
Services RI12. (Image credits: Malvinas
War Images)
Part 7. Shearing shed: Top Malo House
The war continued,
and wounded from both sides were continually arriving to the SS Canberra. After the battles on May 28
in Goose Green and Darwin, a skirmish known as Top Malo House took place in a house -a shearing shed post- north
of Soledad Island, between special troops of the 2nd Section of the 1st Assault
Section Argentine Special Forces from 602 Commando commanded by Captain
Vercesi- and the British Mountain and Arctic Warfare.
The Argentine
wounded from that bloody and intense combat (Lt. 1st H. Losito, Lt. Luis Brun,
Lt. Humberto Martínez and 1st Sergeant Humberto Medina) were transferred to the
British field hospital in Ajax Bay. Later, they were also transferred to the SS Canberra.
One of those
wounded commandos, Lt. Luis Brun signed the Canberra
postcard, and I decided to call him. His account of his combat simply makes
the hair stand on end:
“With Lt. Espinosa we were at the top of the house, Espinosa saw the
English coming, raised the alarm and opened fire. Espinosa drew enemy fire, and
received a direct hit from a rocket launcher, which disintegrated him. The
explosion sent me off to the side. I was wounded in the leg and in the back. At
the end of the fight, we were evacuated by helicopter to Ajax Bay. On that
flight, my head was resting on the body of Sergeant Sbert, who had died
fighting. Upon arriving at the Field Hospital, I was operated on by Dr. Rick
Jolly, a true professional. "
As in
previous cases, I am surprised by the predisposition of this soldier.Crisp and
clear memories of a past chaos, which is never forgotten.
Averaging the
talk, from his passage through the SS
Canberra he rescued the following:
“In a bed close to mine, there was a very badly injured boy. He had
survived an explosion, had a badly injured hand and a leg amputated from high
up (*). Every day, a woman and her husband looked after him: they cleaned his
hands, cleaned his place, talked to him and brought food ”.
Luis Brun did
not remember the names, but he was referring to class 63 soldier Raúl Américo
Vallejos, and the Taylors.
At Top Malo House, on May 31, 1982, lost their lives in combat: Lt.
Ernesto Emilio Espinosa and Sgt. 1 ° Mateo Antonio Sbert. Both received
posthumously the decoration "The Argentine Nation for Heroic Valor in
Combat" for the following cause: "Voluntarily protect the retreat of
their comrades when they were part of an advanced exploration patrol and, in
the face of an attack notoriously superior in troops and personnel, to fight
until achieving, thanks to the sacrifice of his life, the fulfillment of his
mission ”.
Whoever was the Chief of that Commando Section, Captain José Vercesi,
highlights: "Once the combat was over, the enemy maintained a correct
treatment, giving special attention and first aid to the wounded." (**)
And he added: “After the combat, Sergeant 1st Pedroso introduced himself as a nurse. He did not have the necessary elements to perform as such, but using the English material he collaborated efficiently with his own wounded. "
Those were the men from 2nd Section of the 1st Assault Section Argentine
Special Forces from 602 Commando, at Top Malo House.
As in
previous cases, I was surprised by the predisposition of this soldier. Crisp
and clear memories of a past chaos, which is never forgotten.
(*) Raúl Américo Vallejos was seriously
wounded (along with others), in a controversial event: once Goose Green combat
was over, and they were already prisoners, they were forced to transfer
ammunition and explosives, which exploded. Such activity is prohibited under
the Geneva Convention. In that event, soldiers Martín Flores, Rafael Barrios
and José Ferraú lost their lives.
(**) Wounded from the 2nd Section of
the Commandos 602:
-1st Lt. Brun: Deep cut in the forehead
by splinter, contusions from a 5 m fall, temporary blindness, back wound by Gr
40 mm rifle, gunshot wound to the calf.
-Lt. Martínez: gunshot wound to the
foot.
-1st Sar Helguero: gunshot wound to the
chest and shards of rifle grenade.
-1st Lt. Losito: 40 mm deep splinter
wound, gunshot wound to the right thigh, gunshot wound to the stomach.
- 1st Sarg Medina: deep wound in the
left leg by a 40 mm grenade.
- Corporals Valdivieso and Delgadillo:
minor injuries to the lower limbs.
1st Lt. Luis Brun, wounded being
evacuated by British personnel. May 31, 1982.
(Image credit: BBC documentary)
Some members of the 2nd Section of the Commandos 602, after the
fight at Top Malo House, already prisoners. May 31, 1982. (Image credits: Malvinas Operation)
Another angle from the previous image.
Some members of the 2nd Section Company Commando 602, after the fight at Top Malo House, already
prisoners. May 31, 1982. (Image credits:
Malvinas Operation)
Lt.Humberto Martínez, 1st Lt. Luis
Brun, 1st Sgt Humberto Medina (in the background), being attended by Dr. Peter
Mayner, aboard the SS Canberra. (image
credits to whom it may concern).
The shearing
shed at Top Malo creek. (Image credits to
whom it may concern.)
The shearing shed at Top Malo creek,
still smoking. That place is the war grave of Lt. Espinosa. His remains are
mixed with the terrain. (Image credits to
whom it may concern.)
Top Malo
House, today. (Image credits: Malvinas
Operation)
Part 8-Who were the Taylors?
When I spoke with Veteran Jorge Marchesini - and as
the memories loomed - he clearly said:
"After the surgery, I had contact with two extraordinarily kind souls,
which I am sure, marked my physical and mental recovery, the Taylor marriage:
Frank and Anna."
Later, Veteran Luis Brun -in his time- would bring a
similar memory:
“In a bed close to mine, there was a very badly injured boy. He had
survived an explosion, his hand was badly injured, and his leg had been
amputated from high up. Every day, a woman and her husband looked after him:
they cleaned his hands, cleaned his place, talked to him and brought food ”.
That boy , Brun was referring to, was soldier Raúl
Américo Vallejos, a low-profile Chaco Veteran, but with a very good and
generous memory. He shared his experiences, and said clearly:
“Frank and Ana helped me a lot in Canberra: they took care of me, calmed
me down, cleaned my wounds and tried to talk to me. After the war, we wrote to
each other, but we lost contact. "
These recurring stories led me to look for: the
Taylor couple and Dr. Peter Mayner. Fortunately (and faster than I thought) I
was able to find part of the SS Canberra
crew, who, along with Corporal Brian Short, went to the Malvinas Islands as
part of Operation Corporate in 1982. They were the link with Dr. Mayner and the Taylors.
Frank and Anna, are an older couple, and were part
of the civil crew of the SS Canberra.
They are still together, and they were surprised to learn that those young
wounded, our soldiers, still remember them.
War veteran Luis Brun was able to write to Dr.
Mayner, and receive a warm response from him:
"It is an honor that you write to me." Dr. Mayner at 81, clearly
remembers those patients aboard the SS
Canberra. Today he is retired, as he suffers from Parkinson's disease.
War veteran Jorge Marchesini, for his part, kept a
letter from the Taylor family, since they had promised to write to him which they
had done. Unfortunately, he lost it in 1984 and with it, the address. But now,
38 years after being injured and returning to the mainland, he received
correspondence from the Taylors: a photo aboard the SS Canberra.
From
left to right: Second Lieutenant Duran, Lt. Humberto Martínez, 1st Corporal
Jorge Marchesini, Corporal Darío Hernández. Image
taken by Frank Taylor, and sent to the VGM Jorge Marchesini, 38 years later.
Part 9. That's me!
When
War Veteran Jorge Marchesini received an email from Frank Taylor, he was surprised
to see a photo that he did not remember. Then, he recognized himself and sent
it to me (*).
I
asked the board from “Operation Malvinas”
to publish the photograph to get any clue about those Malvinas fighters. To my surprise,
a message appeared, almost immediately:
"That's
me!"
The
message was from War Veteran Darío Hernández, who for years looked for a photo
- with no luck - until that afternoon.
War
Veteran Darío Hernández went back in time and told me that being 17 years old he
participated in this noble achievement as an aspiring Corporal of Intendance,
graduating early from the General Lemos NCO School. He arrived to the Malvinas
Islands on April 25, joining the ranks of the 12th Infantry Regiment, as
Corporal of the Command and Services Company (under the orders of
Sub-Lieutenant Ernesto O. Peluffo).
Cover me!
On
May 28, 1982, British paratroopers advanced slowly towards Darwin, engaging the
infantrymen of the 12th Infantry Regiment.
During
a pause in combat, the young corporal Darío Hernández heard cries for help from
a wounded soldier. In this collision of infantry and subsequent withdrawal, not
all could be protected. The area of Darwin and Goose Green has no rocks, it is an
undulating and beautiful pasture that, on this occasion, was the scene of the action
of brave warriors.
Corporal
Hernández decided to abandon his position in the fox pit, to come to their aid
and told his soldiers: "Cover
me!"
The
combat resumed, finding Corporal Hernández in the open, at which point he was
hit by mortar fire as he was within reach of the British paratroopers.
He
fell injured on his legs by splinters. Dazed and bleeding, he tried to locate
himself and find a soldier for whom he came out of his well. But, his screams
had already stopped, he laid with his eyes open,on that beautiful pasture.
He
tried to get up and return to his position. The British slowly consolidated
their advance in tough daytime engagements against the Argentine infantrymen of
the 12th, 8th and 25th regiments.
Once
the Darwin / Green Goose fell, they were taken prisoner and led away. Corporal
Hernández fainted due to the loss of blood and remained one night in the open
(**).
The
next day, British "fresh troops" arrived and helicopter the wounded
to Ajax Bay, where was operated by Surgeon Captain Rick Jolly and his team. On
June 4, he was transferred to SS Canberra,
where he was checked again, and faced with an infection, he underwent surgery
again.
From
his time at the SS Canberra, today War
Veteran Darío Hernández recalled that the treatment was humanitarian, and in
his words: excellent, and opposed to the bad treatment he received when he was
taken prisoner: “I do not hold a grudge
or hate them. I would have treated them the same ”.
At
38 years old, he especially remembers two people: Frank and Anna Taylor, who
cared for him, cured him and even gave him a cane to walk.
"The courage of a man is not measured by age"
(*)
In that photo, you can identify War Veteran Leonardo Duran (then Second
Lieutenant of RI 12).There were two other people left that we could not
identify.
Comparing
photos and consulting War Veteran José Vercesi (then Captain in Company Commando
602), a name emerges: War Veteran
Humbero Martínez. When this last saw the image, surprised and somewhat stunned,
said: “Yes, it's me”.
(**)
On the night of May 28 to 29, several wounded spent the night lying in the meadow.
Among them, the same Chief of the Company Commando and Services, Sub-Lieutenant
Ernesto O. Peluffo, who suffered a deep wound in his head as well as splinters in his leg.
Corporal
(EC) Darío Hernández aboard the SS
Canberra, along with three other Malvinas fighters. The cane seen in his left
hand, was a gift from the Taylor family. (Photo
taken by Frank Taylor)
Wounded
in both legs, and submitted to surgery twice, War Veteran Darío Hernández still
has the cane that helped him to walk in those days of June 1982. (Kindly submitted by War Veteran Darío
Hernández)
On
May 29, 1982, near Darwin's hill and watched by British paratroopers, you can
see Sub-Lieutenant (EC) Ernesto Orlando Peluffo, lying on the ground, with his
head bandaged, after fighting and spending the night there. In this same place was also the Corporal (EC)
Darío Hernández. (Image credits to whom
it may concern)
Corporal
(EC) Darío Hernández received from the Taylor family, not only a cane, but also
a pencil and paper. There he wrote his first memoirs of war, which more than
thirty years later, would inspire his book "Malvinas,
Scars of the body, Wounds of the Soul". (Page 59, mentions Frank and
Anna)
Part 10. The perspective that time gives
After the fighting in Darwin and Goose Green,
and after spending the night in the open, the Argentine prisoners were confined
in the shearing sheds of that small town.
In the presence of a large amount of
ammunition and explosives, in the vicinity of that shed - which represented a
risk - the British ordered Argentine prisoners of war to gather them and
transfer them to another place. This task was entrusted to Second Lieutenant
Leonardo Durán (*), who, given the very high risk involved, immediately tried
to make the superior who entrusted it, Major A. Frontera (2nd Chief of RI 12) to
withdraw:
"Look, Durán, if we
don't, they'll take us out of the shed and some of our men may die from the
cold."
It was thus that on June 1, 1982, Second
Lieutenant Duran, with no other options, organized a group of soldiers and
began with the transfer of those boxes of explosives, always with British
surveillance at a safe distance. After some trips, Durán observed how the
soldiers he led carried one box on top of another, and then the inevitable
happened.
The shearing shed was shaken, and inside it our
soldiers fell to the ground, fearing an air attack. Outside, the situation was
chaotic, tragic: smoke, screams and blood. Durán flew through the air and fell.
Stunned, he got up as best he could and approached the shearing shed, where he
fell again and was helped by his own companions.
The explosion left three soldiers dead: Rafael
Barrios, Víctor Rodríguez and José Ramón Ferrau (who was shot dead by a British
while he was burning in flames), and several wounded of varying degrees,
including Second Lieutenant Leonardo Durán himself and the soldiers Raúl
Vallejos -who lost a leg, Ricardo Pinatti, Ángel Urban, Ricardo Jakuisuk,
Gerardo Fernández, Luis Spinberger, Hugo Duarte, Francisco Ocampo and Martín
Flores (**).
After the explosion, he was evacuated in a
Chinook helicopter to the British field hospital in Ajax Bay, where he was
received and treated by Surgeon Captain Rick Jolly, and it was he who detailed
his medical situation (bursting of eardrums) and the state of health of the
other soldiers injured in the explosion, being surprised by the irregularity of
the event. He was then transferred to the SS
Canberra in a Sea King.
In the SS
Canberra he was part of a group of four officers (along with Lt. H.
Martínez, 1st Lt. H. Losito, 1st Lt. L. Brun).He recalls in detail that the
treatment was certainly harsh since the beginning. Rigorous, but correct and
respectful.
“Treatment was relatively
relaxed, after the surrender on june 14. There was the anecdote of the ship's
commander informing us, in an impeccable white uniform, the end of the war. Obviously
we were all aware of the meaning that surrender entails. A group of officers
were invited to tour the deck of the ship, something unthinkable in the
previous hours, where not only the position of the ship was hidden from us, but
also the possibility of knowing the daylight hours. " .
Durán clearly remembered that he chose not to
familiarize himself with the crew, as he was a POW.
On the SS
Canberra postcard, his signature appears there only by courtesy but without additions. He considered
that with the perspective given by time, it is possible to start a conversation
and reflect on the historical events in which he was a direct participant.
And so he did. After 38 years, Leonardo Durán
wrote to Brian Short, and together, they mull on the historical events of those
involved in the Malvinas Islands.
I´m thankful to to War Veteran Leonardo Duran.
(*) Leonardo Durán, marched to Malvinas with
the 12th Infantry Regiment "General
Arenales". His military rank was that of Second Lieutenant of Infantry
and his combat role was that of chief of the Second Section of Shooters of
Company "C", deployed around Goose Green.
(**) This unfortunate event was recorded in an
act, prepared by the RI12 officers, describing the event, the fatalities,
injuries and British participants.
From left to right: Second Lieutenant Ricardo
Frías, Lieutenant Carlos Marturet, Second Lieutenant L. Durán. (Kindly submitted by War VeteranL. Duran)
An
explosión in a shearing shed: Article from Soldados
Magazine, March 2018 edition. In this article, you can see Surgeon Captain
Jolly, and War Veteran Leonardo Durán, on the occasion of his visit to our
country in 1999 when he was decorated with the Order of May. That meeting
allowed to remove various feelings, and to be grateful for the attention
received. (Kindly submitted by War
Veteran Leonardo Durán)
Goose Green, Malvinas Islands. Current view of the
shearing sheds where our soldiers were, held prisoners. Own image, taken in
March 2018.
Part
11. Doctor for friend and foe
Throughout this compilation of testimonies,
memories and experiences of the Malvinas achievement, many names emerged, but
also of men, defined by their convictions and attitudes.
It is undeniable that one of those men was Dr. Rick
Jolly.
Many of our wounded soldiers were cared for by him
and then transferred to SS Canberra.
In Malvinas, he served as Officer Commanding
Medical Squadron of the Commando Logistic Regiment Royal Marines and set up a
field hospital in Ajax Bay, occupying and adapting an old sheep refrigerator
from the 1950s.He himself baptized it "The
Red and Green Life Machine" (after the color of the paratroopers 'and
Royal Marines' berets), and he himself painted the access sign.
During the following weeks, Surgeon Captain Rick
Jolly and his team of approximately 120 members treated more than 1,000 wounded
soldiers, sailors and airmen from the waters of San Carlos, Goose Green, Mount
Harriet, Mont Longdon, Sapper Hill. and from the Sir Galahad.
Of that number of wounded, 78 were Argentine
soldiers.
And the first Argentine to be treated by Surgeon
Captain Jolly was Lieutenant Ricardo “Tom” Lucero, pilot of an A4C Skyhawk,
being Dr. Jolly responsible for sending Lucero's wife -Marta Castillo- a
message. : that her husband was in good condition. (*).
As I write this short story, I remember a
communication with War Veteran Luis Brun, who related the following:
After
the combat at Top Malo House, I was taken by helicopter to Ajax Bay where I met
Dr. Rick Jolly. He operated on me while there were two bombs from our Air
Force, embedded in the ceiling, which had not exploded "
Rick Jolly was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 1983, and later, in 1999,when he visited Argentina with the Prince of Wales
received the Order of May in
gratitude. The Order of May is granted exclusively to foreign civil and
military citizens who have distinguished themselves by their services and
personal works and deserve the gratitude of the Nation.
In this way, Dr. Rick Jolly was the only one to be
awarded by both countries.
On the occasion of that visit, he was able to meet
with some of those soldiers who passed through the field hospital in Ajax Bay,
War Veteran Brigadier Tomba,War Veteran Colonel H. Losito,War Veterans Luis Brun
and Leonardo Durán. This meeting 17 years after a war that had them confronted,
served to review together the events in which both lost comrades, but in which
the lives of many depended - God willing - on the ability and determination of
that good man.
Finally, on January 13, 2018, at the age of 71, Dr.
Jolly passed away, due to cardiovascular complications, at his home in
Torpoint, England.
People
assume that you have to hate your enemy, but that couldn't be further from the
truth. The only people who know what you're going through are the people on the
other side. (Surgeon
Captain Rick Jolly, 2012)
Surgeon
Captain Rick Jolly, painting himself on the Ajax Bay Field Hospital. "Welcome to the red and green life
machine." (Image credits to whom
it may concern)
Surgeon Captain Rick Jolly in surgery (right), in Ajax Bay, 1982.
(image credits to whom it may concern)
Surgeon
Captain Rick Jolly (right), at the entrance to the Ajax Bay Field Hospital. (image credits to whom it may concern)
Surgeon Capt Rick Jolly's book cover: "Doctor for friend and foe". Conway Maritime Press; Edition: Reprint (April 2, 2012)
Part 12-These are the Taylors
When I was writing Part 8 of this story, I asked myself, Who were the Taylors?
He had gotten this far, with several Veterans' matching descriptions of a
marriage and their behavior.
Luis Brun described the care and dedication of Frank and Anna in cleaning
wounds, in bringing food, in providing containment.
They did it with Jorge Marchesini and Darío Hernández, who were wounded, but they did it especially with Raúl Américo Vallejos, who had lost his left leg, in addition to suffering other injuries as a result of a brutal explosion.
Well, while writing this story, I got a response from Frank and Anna:
“That day (06/19/82) is etched in our memory, the day we said goodbye to our brave boys. We always think about them and wonder what their life will be like now. If you can find Raúl Américo Vallejos, send him our greetings "
The memories of Raúl Vallejos and the Taylor family are lived. Frank says
clearly that he remembers everything, like yesterday, and adds that Vallejos
was cared for by two young soldiers, Omar Leyria, and Ricardo Pinatti.
"Pinatti took care
of his friend Vallejos, and we called Leyria Rocky, because of his great
bandage on his hand."
"That June 19, my
last memory of Leyria, was going down to the dock, his smile and his greeting,
I yelled at him and he turned around, smiling, always smiling"
“That day when they left
Canberra we wept to see them off, we are proud to call them our friends. The
boys we met were a credit to Argentina, they have to know ”.
In Memory of
War Veteran Omar Leyria, 1963-2011
Frank and Anna Taylor, part of the crew of the SS Canberra in 1982. (Kindly submitted by Frank Taylor)
Reverse of the photo. Signatures of Argentine soldiers in gratitude to Frank and Anna Taylor. Written by Ricardo Pinatti and Raúl Vallejos. (Kindly submitred by Frank Taylor). Catholics in the world are above human miseries. When I was thirsty you gave me to drink, when you gave me to eat... What is necessary and authentic for eternity. United in Jesus Christ.
Reverse of
the photo. The signature of Omar Leyria "Rocky" is appreciated.
(Kindly submitted by Frank Taylor)
A newspaper from 1982. In the foreground, soldier
Raúl Américo Vallejo. (Kindly submitted
by Marcelo Raúl Arce Bukeman)
War Veteran Raúl Américo Vallejo today. (KIndly submitted by Marcelo Raúl
Arce Bukeman)
Part 13. Puerto Madryn, the landing. Final words
Many were
the sensations experienced when starting the search for the names involved in
this "Postcard" (*).
Being able
to find those Veterans and their stories has meant opening a door that I did
not imagine opening, but through which I have been allowed to pass.
It has meant
opening a door to memory, to evoke the companion who did not return, to
remember the enemy who died, but it has also meant rescuing those hands that
healed, those hands that helped, (whether Argentine or British) and those many
hands that shared a piece of bread, as the people of Puerto Madryn did, that
June 19, 1982, when they spontaneously went out to receive their soldiers, our soldiers.
On the other
hand, I can't help but wonder: What prompted Corporal Brian Short to ask those
guys he guarded for a signature? Was it the personal memory of having
participated in a war and living to tell about it?
From his
testimony, I especially recall the following:
"My father was also called Brian Short, and he
was also a Royal Marine, but I could not meet him, he was killed before my
birth, in the Suez crisis (Egypt)"
"Honor and friends are great feelings, which I
found in those Argentines with whom I have contacted again".
What did our soldiers feel? They had been enemies in the Malvinas Islands a few weeks ago, and now they were passengers / prisoners, sharing the ship with those enemies, back on the mainland. Well, some samples of those feelings were written on that postcard, with twenty-three signatures (**), twenty-three stories of Argentine soldiers, NCOs and officers.
All with
different formations, with particular and indelible points of view and
feelings, but with something in common: having risked their lives for their
companions, for their comrades and for the Homeland.
Thanks to
all of them
German Stoessel.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in (Matthew 23:25)
s
The mural in Puerto Madryn, on the Admiral Storni pier. It is 35 mt x 4 mt and was carried out by Martín Cofré, Tomás Gimbernat, Jorge Vásquez and Claudio Segundo. It was inaugurated on June 19, 2019 and portrays the arrival of the Malvinas soldiers. In this image, you can see the SS Canberra. (Kindly submitted by War Veteran VGM Guillermo Huircapan)
Cover of the British newspaper The Guardian, June 21, 1982. At the bottom of the stairs, Corporal Brian Short (head uncovered and also General Garay, receiving the soldiers (holding out their hands). (Kindly submitted by Brian Short)
The same
instant of the previous image on the cover of The Guardian. (Image credits
to whom it may concern)
The town of Puerto Madryn, receiving its soldiers. (Kindly submitted by Mabel Outeda)
(*) Postcard,
which was nothing more than a menú
(**) Menu signatories:
• “Alberto
Briamonte BETO 82- Conscript
• “José
Gonzalez”
• “Norberto
Horacio”
• “Mario
Jauco”
• “Juan Humberto
Diaz” Conscript
• “Rogelio
Pellegrini” Conscript.
• “Mario Fabián
Solís” Conscript.
• “Alberto González,
Sarg Ay”, Assistant Sargeant
• “Pedro
Leiva”, Conscript
• “Francisco
Campos”, Conscript.
• “Heberkon,
Norberto Rubén, Conscripto.
• “Horacio
Losito”, 1st Lt.
• “Luis
Brun”,1st Lt.
• “Humberto
Martinez”, Lt.
• “Ariel
Tascon”, Conscript
• “Leonardo
Duran”, Sublieutenant
• “Hugo R.
Melgarejo”, Conscript
• “John”
Juan Carlos Garabedian, Conscript
• “Ángel
Gutierrez”, Conscript
• “Claudio
de Arce”, Conscript.
• “Corporal Hernández”.
Corporal
Acknowledgement
• Cesar
Carpo (for your patience and view points)
• Lt.Colonel
War Veteran José Vercesi
• War
Veteran Luis Brun
• War
Veteran Humberto Martínez
• War
VeteranAriel Tascon
• War
Veteran Jorge Marchesini
• War
Veteran Darío Hernández
• War
Veteran Leonardo Duran
• War
Veteran Ángel Gutierres
• War
Veteran Claudio De Arce
• Puerto
Madryn War Veteran Center.
• War
Veteran Guillermo Huircapan
• War
Veteran Daniel Belmanr
• Peter
Steele, SS Canberra crew
• Brian
Short, Royal Marines Band.
• Frank and
Anna Taylor, SS Canberra crew.
• Martin
Reed, Captain SS Canberra, P&O
• Peter
Mayner, Surgeon SS Canberra, P&O
Bibliography
and electronic search
- Bishop, Patrick (The Observer) ; Witherow, John (The Times)-La Guerra de
Invierno- Ed. Claridad, 1985
-Blank, Laurie R, Gregory P. Nune- International Law and Armed Conflict.
Fundamental Principles and contemporary challenges in the law of war-
Second edition, 2019. Wolters Kluwer (pág. 273)
https://books.google.com.ar/books?id=fmxuDwAAQBAJ...
- Caggese, José. Malvinas, el libro de la buena memoria. Editorial Fundación de la Justicia Social,
2008.
-Gerding, Eduardo César-Un Hombre bueno nunca
muere: Richard Jolly.
Boletín
del Centro Naval 849, Sept/Dic 2018.
https://www.centronaval.org.ar/bol.../BCN849/849-GERDING.pdf
and in The
Nottingham-Malvinas Group: A good man never dies.
http://nottinghammalvinas.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-good-man-never-
dies-dr-rick-jolly.html#.YAMuRegzZdg
-https://www.historyanswers.co.uk/.../falklands-war.../
https://www.historyanswers.co.uk/.../falklands-war.../
https://www.infobae.com/.../el-mensaje-del-capitan.../
https://www.lavoz.com.ar/.../guerra-de-malvinas-dia-que...
https://www.infobae.com/.../el-dia-que-madryn-se-quedo.../
https://www.infobae.com/.../rick-jolly-murio-el-hombre.../
https://malvinasnottingham.blogspot.com/.../2014-una...
http://elkronoscopio.blogspot.com/.../capitan-rick-jolly...
http://elkronoscopio.blogspot.com/.../capitan-rick-jolly...
https://www.lanacion.com.ar/.../un-medico-en-pos-de-la.../
https://www.lanacion.com.ar/.../jolly-el-medico-ingles.../
http://servicios.infoleg.gob.ar/.../1900.../193357/norma.htm
https://www.washingtonpost.com/.../f826d4d8-facc-11e7...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/.../surgeon-captain-rick.../
https://www.mirror.co.uk/.../incredible-story-of-the...
Falklands
Combat Medics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ettWJKRBc54
https://casebook.icrc.org/.../argentinaunited-kingdom-red...
https://radiocut.fm/.../entrevista-al-vgm-jose-caggese...
What did our
soldiers feel? They had been enemies in the Malvinas Islands
a few weeks
ago, and now they were passengers / prisoners, sharing the ship with those
enemies, back on the mainland. Well, some samples of those feelings were
written on that postcard, with twenty-three signatures (**), twenty-three
stories of Argentine soldiers, NCOs and officers.
All with
different formations, with particular and indelible points of view and
feelings, but with something in common: having risked their lives for their
companions, for their comrades and for the Homeland.
Thanks to
all of them
German Stoessel.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you
gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in. (Matthew
25:35)
Author's references:
Germán
András Stoessel was born on November 8, 1974 in Cutral Co, Province of Neuquén.
In 1982, he was in Comodoro Rivadavia attending elementary school and receiving
soldiers at his home.
He graduated as a Forest Engineer and toured the Malvinas Islands in bycicle (2018).
Photograph
from Weekend magazine: Malvinas en
bicicleta: por la tierra de los
héroes-https://weekend.perfil.com/noticias/bike-2/guerra-islas-malvinas-bicicleta-heroes.phtml.
