FALKLANDS HERO:
Falklands vet Simon’s grief, 35 years on
While it may be 35 years since three of his close Army pals were killed in the Falklands conflict, Simon Weston has told how they are still in his thoughts every day, along with other fallen comrades.
And despite the horrific burns he received during an attack on his troop ship, the 55-year-old insisted going to war was the right decision.
Speaking as services took place in Britain and Argentina to mark the 35th anniversary of the fight, former Welsh Guard Simon spoke of his friends Neil Hughes, Gareth “58” Hughes and Andrew “Yorkie” Walker, who died.
Simon said: “I’m thrilled I’m still here 35 years on.
“I miss my mates every single day. Yorkie Walker was my best friend in the Welsh Guards. And Neil Hughes, I was very close to him, and I was very close to 58 as well.
“There is something about the finality of life and being able to say goodbye. I never had that choice.
“I will miss them until the day I die and then I will meet them again.
“But I’ll be very old and they will be very young. I believe something like that is going to happen.”
Simon, of Caerphilly, South Wales, was on the Sir Galahad troop ship when it was bombed by the Argentine air force, killing 48 people.
As well as soldiers and crew, the vessel was carrying ammo, phosphorus bombs, and thousands of gallons of diesel and petrol.
Simon suffered 46% burns and needed years of surgical treatment.
But despite his trauma, he still insists he was the lucky one. Simon said: “There were 48 men on board my ship who would love my injuries and their families would love them to be here. Whatever problems I have, every one of them would rather have mine.”
And he insisted taking back the Falklands from the Argentine invading force was necessary.
He added: “It should be remem- bered in the same way we remember the First and Second World Wars, scale does not matter.” Services yesterday took place at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffs, and in Buenos Aires to mark the war, which started on April 2, 1982. When it ended 74 days later, 255 Britons, 649 Argentinians and three islanders were dead.
Over the past year, the frosty relations between the UK and Argentina have thawed. Both agreed to further business links and signed a deal to allow officials to identify 123 South American soldiers buried on the disputed territory.