Mountain battle was ‘like something from the First World War’
One former private says he was affected ‘in a big way’ by the conflict and lives his life for those who never returned
TREVOR Bradshaw remembers being sent into the darkness of battle with Argentinian troops in an operation that felt like something from the First World War.
He was aged 21 and just three months into his service with the 3rd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment when war broke out in the Falklands.
The private, from Exmouth in Devon, now aged 61, was among those sent in to fight the Argentinians on the ground in the Falklands, including the horrific battle of Mount Longdon.
While taking cover during that battle, Trevor lost his good friend and comrade, Tim Jenkins. Years later, when he returned to the islands, he marked the place where Tim had been killed with a small plaque and rocks to spell his name and regiment.
Trevor said: “It’s very important to remember the ordinary young men who were killed serving their country. I’ve tried to live my life for some of those lads who never got the chance.”
Trevor sailed to the Falklands on the SS Canberra and remembers the crowds waving goodbye.
He said: “It was just getting dark when we set sail and there was a long promenade of hundreds and hundreds of cars all facing their headlights to the sea. They were flashing their headlights and beeping their horns. It was an unforgettable send-off, an amazing experience. But then everyone had a lump in their throat as we sailed off into the darkness. No one said very much, and everyone just went off quietly to their rooms.”
Trevor’s battalion arrived on Ascension Island – midway between Britain and the Falklands – on April 20. They were sailing to the Falklands on May 19, when they had to be transferred to HMS Intrepid.
Once they set foot on Falklands soil, they could be seen by the Argentinians, who shelled them
from the surrounding mountains. Trevor said: “Because of the terrain, the shell would go down into the ground and explode in all directions, so unless you were within 10/15 feet, you wouldn’t get injured.”
Trevor described the battle of Mount Longdon, which began with a silent attack. He said: “We marched for two to three hours to the bottom of the mountain; we were out in an extended line. The thing that was very sobering to me was the order that went out to ‘fix bayonet’, and I remember thinking: ‘Am I going to get that close… am I going to have to do that?’
“We began to walk up the hill that is Mount Longdon, and a lad discovered a minefield by stepping on one, which woke up the Argentines, who then sent fire our way. We continued to advance and it seemed like a long time before we were able to take cover, which was a big bank. That’s where a good friend of mine, Tim Jenkins, was killed.
“We returned fire, but when we did, the fire that came back down on us was so heavy that it was decided it wasn’t a good idea. We were attacking the side of Mount Longdon, and B Company was attacking the ridge. They got quite a hammering and managed to get
about halfway along the mountain but had so many wounded and killed that they couldn’t go further.
“We found ourselves walking through a minefield, which was quite an experience for me. I remember trying to step in the footsteps of the lad in front of you, but it was pitch-black and you had others shooting at you.
“We eventually got to the peak of Longdon, and we were told to put our grenades and magazines in our pockets and went over the top of the mountain in twos, almost like something out of the First World War going out the trenches – literally just into the darkness, trying to find where the enemy were, where there was a place to take cover. In the midst of that, both the Argentines and we were shelling.
“We expected a counter-attack, which didn’t come, but what did come was shelling for the next 36 hours. That in some ways was worse than the actual battle. It was utter powerlessness – you hear this screeching and you have no idea where it’s going to land. And all you can do is lie there and hope for the best.”
Trevor also described the bitterly cold conditions the troops were faced with. He said: “We’d heard about wind chill when it’s 5C, but with the wind it goes into minus degrees, and we’d heard about how cold it would be. We were told about these fuzzy caps with flaps over the ears, and we all said was, ‘We’re not wearing those; no chance’, but within about five hours everyone had them on.
“The weather was wet and wild and dark and just had a completely different feel to Ascension, when we were all sat on the beach where it was sunny and warm. The water was anywhere between ankle and knee-deep. It really was a nightmare march – the first couple of guys ended up getting trench foot.”
In fact, most of the troops ended up with trench foot because the ground was so boggy and their feet were permanently wet. However, if they had all been evacuated there would have been few left to fight, so Trevor said: “We just had to get on with it”.
He added: “It was just a nightmare because we were just going along an extended line, my back is killing me and my feet feel like they’re falling off, but within two minutes it’s so cold, so you’re debating between stopping and going. It really was awful. We didn’t have much in the way of warm clothing and it started to rain. Then we had this 12 to 13-hour period where we felt like we were freezing to death; it was awful, it was really awful.
“Rather than attack the next day, we were given permission to light fires and warm up.”
Trevor’s lasting memory of the conflict was the day he and his comrades cheated death by a whisker. He said: “We built a big bunker and shortly after we were in it we started to get shelled. I was very naïve and wanted to take photos of the shelling. The corporal I was with was saying to get down, but I wanted to take photos, and I got one of the direct hit on the old bunker. If we’d had been it in, we’d have got killed.
Trevor had mixed feelings about the conflict for many years. He said: “When we came back home all the families were there, Prince Charles was there and there was a big party and no time to decompress from it all. I felt like I started to shut down. I felt proud, ashamed, angry and, guilty. I just didn’t talk about it, and
it was probably about 18 years later that I started to train as a counsellor, and that’s where I learned about my own experiences and how I felt about it all.
“It’s without a doubt something that affected me in a big way. I’ve never been diagnosed with PTSD, but I work with a lot of people who have it, so I think I do, or at least I did.
“But when I went to a reunion for the 20th anniversary and the CO gave a speech it changed something in me, and for the first time I realised I could feel proud of what I did and that I’m very lucky to be alive.”
Trevor also found it difficult to reconcile the death of his friend Tim Jenkins, but later returned to the Falklands to mark that place where his comrade was killed the day before Argentina surrendered. “I gathered rocks and spelled out Tim’s name and 3 Para,” said Trevor.
“Tim’s family heard about the surrender, so assumed Tim would be OK. I kept in touch with Tim’s family for a few years but felt very guilty about the whole thing. A few years later, I wanted to visit Tim’s grave, so I went there and also went to visit the family because they live close by, and said, ‘Hi, it’s Trevor Bradshaw – I served with Tim’, and within about 10 minutes the whole family were round and wanted to see me. That really was amazing, but I’ve kept properly in touch with them since then.”
He added: “I still feel emotional 40 years on – I’m 61 now and Tim Jenkins was 19 at the time he was killed, and I realise now just how young 19 is.
“I try to live my life for some of those lads who never got the chance; make it meaningful.”
It means a lot to Trevor that the Royal British Legion is hosting an event as part of the 40th anniversary. He said: “It’s very important to remember. They were just ordinary young men serving their country. A tiny element is your skills, but a massive proportion is just luck, so I think it’s really important to remember everyone.
“During the two-minute silence on June 14, I’ll be remembering those who fell like Tim Jenkins, but I will also be thinking ‘let’s not do this again’ – every opportunity to talk rather than to fight is so crucial. Remembering and learning.”