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Falklands War: We were all just kids, innocents to the slaughter

Published

2 years ago

March 22, 2024

A FALKLANDS WAR veteran and the two sisters of one of his lost comrades are campaigning to win justice for 32 Welsh Guards killed in the bombing of British ship RFA Sir Galahad.

Not a day goes by without Rhyl businessman Les Peake re-living the horrific firestorm which saw 48 of his comrades killed on the morning of June 8, 1982, including the Welsh Guards.

Among them was his pal Peter Edwards, aged just 19, from Llandyrnog, near Denbigh, described by his sisters Mandy Perkins and Barbara Royles as having been ‘full of life’.

Les, Mandy and Barbara are among Falklands veterans and their families who are seeking answers about the Sir Galahad disaster which shell-shocked the nation.

They are incredulous that red tape means documents revealing the full facts about the bombing are sealed for another four decades until 2065.

Speaking ahead of a landmark reunion event in Cardiff on March 23, they called on UK Government ministers to change the rules and immediately unveil the official records to reveal how the Sir Galahad became an open target for Argentinian bombers.

Pete was the son of proud parents Evelyn and Gordon Edwards, and had only been a soldier for around a year when the Falklands War broke out.

Mandy said: “Pete joined the Welsh Guards because there were no jobs around at that time. He loved his training and quickly made lots of friends in the army.”

Rhyl Memorial Gardens Falklands veteran Les Peake with sisters of Peter Edwards who lost his life on the Sir Galahad Picture of Peter Edwards

But in the spring of 1982 he and fellow Welsh Guards, including the now famous burns charity campaigner Simon Weston, were posted to the South Atlantic after Argentinian forces invaded self-governing British overseas territory, the Falkland Islands.

As a specially trained ‘Spearhead Battalion’ they were tasked with ramping up the Royal Navy mission to liberate the Falkland Islands.

But as they arrived confusion reigned even before they managed to get ashore.

They were inexplicably sent to a different nautical location than originally planned. Vital landing craft failed to show up, and scores of soldiers were unexpectedly put onto the civilian supply ship RFA Sir Galahad where they were told to wait for a fleet of smaller boats to bring them to shore.

But as daylight dawned, having no surface to air missile defences on board Sir Galahad, they became sitting ducks within the sightline of Argentine jets.

The defenceless ship, full of munitions and fuel, suffered three direct hits from Argentine bombs. It became a raging inferno from which there was no escape.

It was the highest loss of British troops of any incident in the war and the biggest single day British military disaster since World War II.

Memories of that hellfire, haunting visions of his comrades on fire, and their desperate screams for help, will never leave Les or his fellow survivors.

Les was aged 18, and most of the young Guards who lost their lives were also in their late teens.

He said: “We were all just kids, innocents to the slaughter. I was 18, my cousin was there too, and Pete was 19, we were teenagers, good pals, young men on the verge of adulthood.”

Back at home, for Mandy, Barbara and their families, the day news of the attack reached them is forever etched in their minds.

They say the huge loss of life is hard enough to bear, but the distress of losing loved ones has been compounded by controversy which has surrounded the Sir Galahad disaster over the last four decades.

Veterans and bereaved families are angry and distraught that some media reports, government and military officials have laid the blame for the disaster at the door of the Welsh Guards, accusing them of incompetence and being unprepared.

Les said: “We’ve been made scapegoats. It’s a travesty of justice to let us be blamed for events clearly out of our control.”

Although an official inquiry was held shortly after the war ended, its findings have never been fully released. Only highly redacted versions have been made available and many survivors’ questions remain unanswered.

They are calling for the names of key decision-makers to be unveiled along with an explanation as to why the battalion came to be placed in an exposed location on an undefended supply ship in the first place.

Mandy and Barbara are furious, feeling that for too long their brother’s name and the reputation of the Welsh Guards have been ‘unfairly slurred’.

They want the findings of the Board of Inquiry report into the incident to be unsealed in full. They say it is incomprehensible that the report is currently not due to be opened for public viewing until 2065.

The hope is that the government will finally recognise the strength of feeling demonstrated by those attending the reunion of RFA Sir Galahad survivors, bereaved families and supporters at the Mercure Hotel, Cardiff, on March 23.

It is the first ever reunion of its kind involving surviving veterans, with guests and speakers including prominent figures who have joined the fight for justice like General Sir Michael Rose, commander of the SAS; Master of the RFA Sir Galahad, Philip Roberts; Welsh Senedd member Jenny Rathbone and south Wales MPs, Jessica Morden and Stephen Doughty.

Reunion organiser Kevin Edwards, himself a Sir Galahad survivor, said decisions will be on the day about the proposed next steps.

He said: “A recently redacted copy of the Board of Inquiry report clearly shows that the Welsh Guards and its officers were completely exonerated of any blame in 1982, yet many official voices and authors of media publications still wrongly state differently and smear our regiment’s name.

“The bereaved and veterans have endured almost 42 years of blame, 42 years of defamation of character, capabilities and the names of our fallen dragged through the dirt. Enough is enough, we who remain will all be history by the year 2065.

“Our committee met with cross party MPs in Parliament of late, having produced evidence uncovered at the national archives at Kew. This resulted in Sir Ian Duncan Smith, Priti Patel and many MPs to suggest that there remain questions to be answered. They all fully support our campaign.”

The original 1980s inquiry was held behind closed doors shortly after the attack but its meagre published findings comprised merely a statement that concluded the loss of the ship and troops was down to the ‘ordinary chances of war’.

Survivors dispute this and cite a catalogue of errors made by senior commanders who they say needlessly left the Welsh Guards defenceless and vulnerable.

Their calls for the truth to come out have grown stronger following the publication of a book last year, ‘Too Thin for A Shroud’, by Crispin Black, a former Welsh Guards officer who survived the Sir Galahad and went on to become an intelligence adviser in the Cabinet Office. He will also be speaking at the reunion.

In the near-42 years which have passed Les has barely had a full night’s sleep. He has suffered his marriage break-up, two years of homelessness, rifts with his family and persistent nightmares.

These days he takes refuge in his work, describing himself as a workaholic, who tries to stave off nightmares by allowing himself only two or three hours sleep a night.

He said: “Sleep is my enemy now. The nightmares kick in and bring it all back, so I avoid sleep as much as I can. Even so there is never a day when I don’t think about what happened out there. I try to push it out of my mind.

“I know some survivors who turn to alcohol or drugs. For some the constant torment drove them to commit suicide.

“I have had rough times in the past, my moods became so bad that I grew apart from my family.

“I was homeless for two years and then I took to driving to earn a living, taking trucks all around Europe just to stay on the move, never letting my mind settle.

“More lately I’ve coped by diverting my attention away from the dark thoughts, I put my whole focus on work. I now run a successful transport company, with my two daughters. You could say I’ve learned to cope by becoming a workaholic.

“It’s really not good for my mental health to let my mind wander back to such dark visions. But it’s something that I feel I have to risk for Pete, all the others who died, their families, and for survivors like myself who still live with these memories every single day. We all deserve justice.

Community

Two Milford Haven schools set to be built amid cost concerns

Published

5 hours ago

May 31, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

AN OUTLINE business case to Welsh Government for new schools in Milford Haven, which would be “the most expensive capital project ever undertaken by the council” has been backed by senior councillors.

At the Pembrokeshire County Council Cabinet meeting of May 27, members were asked to approve the submission of an outline business case for the Milford Haven Schools redevelopment to Welsh Government, and to approve the new updated budget for the scheme, in light of completing the outline business case , and make provision within the capital programme.

It was previously reported at the May meeting of full council that the scheme, for both a new English Medium and a Welsh Medium School, won’t be built before 2030 and 2032 respectively.

At that meeting, Cabinet member for education, Cllr Guy Woodham, who had earlier announced he was stepping down from his Cabinet education role, said he felt a personal disappointment to be stepping down before there was “a spade in the ground”.

A report for Cabinet members, presented by Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services, Cllr Rhys Sinnett, said following the Sustainable Communities for Learning Strategic Programme Board considering a report on the draft business case it was recommended a new Welsh Medium 3-11 primary school be built on the existing Milford Haven Community Primary School (junior site) and an English Medium provision combined new primary and secondary school building on the existing secondary school site, with some sharing of services.

The schemes also include a 40-place Flying Start centre, a 36-place secondary learning resource centre and a 24-place primary learning resource centre.

It also includes a leisure centre on site, with Thornton Sports Hall demolished as part of scheme, following a March Cabinet backing to support a new leisure investment programme, the funding for that not forming part of the business plan approved.

The report added: “The estimated cost of the scheme has changed from £141,598,965 to £143,617,659, primarily as a result of a change of Welsh Government requirements, from the Building Bulletin to new Area Guidelines, which has required an increase in the Gross Internal Floor Area (GIFA) of the schools to comply, together with further development of the project towards more accurate costs.”

The scheme would see a funding split of: Welsh Government 67.75 per cent, Pembrokeshire County Council 32.25 per cent, a total contribution from the council of £46,316,467

In the report, Director of Resources Jonathan Haswell the scheme would be “the most expensive capital project ever undertaken by the council”.

Members backed the recommendation, new Leader Cllr Tessa Hodgson reflecting it was the first Cabinet meeting without Cllr Guy Woodham in the education role, having stepped back due to health issues, saying he had “worked so hard for this”.

Members backed the recommendations.

Mike Cavanagh, Head of Culture, Leisure, and School Modernisation stressed the business case was not the last part of the process with a full business case expected by the end of the year, and hopes construction would be complete by 2030 and ’32 respectively.

Community

Barcud Housing Assistant will walk over hot coals to raise funds for Charity

Published

2 days ago

May 29, 2026

Tom Sinclair

BARCUD Housing Assistant, Amanda Evans, is a brave ‘sole’ as she has agreed to do a Firewalk to help raise funds for Wales Air Ambulance. The charity, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, relies entirely on public donations to keep both the rapid response vehicles and helicopters running.

The firewalk is a sponsored walk with a difference! It might be the shortest and hottest walk, but it takes strength of mind to complete the challenge of walking five metres, barefoot, over hot coals which reach temperatures of up to 800°C!

Amanda has never done a Firewalk before but last year she changed her mindset and since then the word ‘no’ hasn’t been in her vocabulary. She said, “Doing a Firewalk sounds awesome. I decided it would be a giggle to sign up on behalf of Barcud to raise funds for Wales Air Ambulance. Why not? It would be great to have a crowd at the Firewalk in Aberaeron to show support and cheer me on.”

Day to day Amanda works at Barcud’s office in Glyn Padarn, Aberystwyth. She works as part of a team with housing officers to provide support for tenants.

Barcud is based in mid and west Wales with a 300 strong workforce and 4,500 tenants. This is the group’s first year of fundraising for a specific charity and at the annual colleague conference last winter the majority were in favour of supporting a charity, that, like Barcud, helped and supported those living rurally.

Gail Windley, Wales Air Ambulance’s Events and Partnership Fundraiser said, “We’re delighted to be launching our firewalks this year on our special 25th anniversary year. Fundraisers will take on the ultimate challenge of walking over hot coals to helps save lives across Wales. This is a wonderful challenge aimed at all physical abilities and one that needs some courage.

“Walkers don’t need any previous experience to take part in the firewalk, as all the training will be provided on the day. We want to reiterate that this is not an activity to be tried at home and should only be done during a professionally organised event.

“The Charity relies on donations to continue to keep our helicopters in the air and our rapid response vehicles on the road. Fundraising events, like the firewalks, will help to continue this lifesaving service for the people of Wales. It will be an unforgettable day for the participants and their supporters.”

Amanda will be doing her Firewalk at Moody Meadows in Aberaeron from 6pm on Friday, 10th July 2026. Any donations to support Amanda, and Barcud reach its fundraising target of £5,000 would be very gratefully received. Click here to support Amanda online: https://firewalks.walesairambulance.com/amanda-evans

Community

Tesco expands free fruit and veg scheme to more Welsh schools

Published

3 days ago

May 28, 2026

Tom Sinclair

New research suggests most children in Wales are still falling short of five-a-day

TESCO is expanding its Free Fruit & Veg for Schools programme across Wales after new research found that most children are not eating their recommended five portions a day.

The supermarket said only four out of 37 children in Wales, around 10.8%, eat their recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables on a typical school day.

The research also found that almost a third of Welsh parents said their child refuses fruit and vegetables altogether.

Tesco said it will double the number of schools supported by the programme from September, with an ambition to double it again the following year.

The scheme currently provides funding to more than 500 schools across the UK with higher-than-average free school meal eligibility, allowing them to provide pupils with fruit and vegetables during the school day.

Since launching in 2024, the programme has already reached more than 188,000 children across the UK, with pupils consuming more than 15 million portions of fruit and vegetables in its first year.

This year’s expansion is expected to support more than 388,000 children across the UK.

Tesco said the programme is designed to help children try a wider range of fruit and vegetables, build confidence with healthy food, and encourage better eating habits.

The company said pupils taking part have already sampled more than 100 different varieties of fruit and vegetables.

The research also suggested that choice and presentation can make a difference. More than three quarters of Welsh parents said their child is more likely to eat fruit and vegetables when they can choose them themselves, while many said making food fun or visually creative encouraged children to try more.

Ken Murphy, Tesco Group CEO, said: “We’ve set out an ambition to help one million children get free fruit and veg through our school and community programmes, supporting the development of healthy habits.

“Schools have told us what a positive impact the Tesco Free Fruit & Veg for Schools programme has already made, so we’re delighted to be able to double the number of schools receiving support from September.”

Elaine Hindal, Chief Executive of the British Nutrition Foundation, said: “A significant number of children in the UK are growing up with diets that don’t support their health.

“Early food experiences matter, as they can help to shape children’s confidence, habits and long-term health outcomes.

“By helping children enjoy and regularly eat fruit and vegetables from a young age, programmes like Tesco Free Fruit & Veg for Schools can help to make a lasting difference to diet and health now and in the future.”

Tesco is also inviting children to create fruit and vegetable-packed recipes as part of its Giant Fruit and Veg Challenge, with the winning dish to be served in more than 1,500 schools.

The supermarket has set a target of helping one million school children across the UK access free fruit and vegetables through its school and community programmes by July 2029.