Major General Ian Baxter
Royal Marine Commando who brilliantly kept supply lines running during the Falklands War
MAJOR GENERAL IAN BAXTER, who has died aged 80, played a key role with the Commando Forces Royal Marines during the Falklands Campaign.
At 3.30am on April 2 1982, Baxter was telephoned by Major General Jeremy Moore and told to come into work as “those people down South are being difficult”. Argentina had invaded the Falkland Islands.
No contingency plans existed, and the decision was taken to form a naval Task Force including 3 Commando Brigade RM and to sail within 72 hours. The logistical task of loading a huge quantity of stores and of providing support to the land forces over an 8,000 mile line of communication posed an enormous challenge.
Early morning conference calls between Baxter and his contacts in HQ UKLF, the MOD and the Department of Trade resulted in the rapid deployment of lorries and freight trains to move stores and equipment to the embarkation ports. Within a few hours, liners, ferries, freighters, tankers, tugs and other support ships were being requisitioned.
A medical team was dispatched to Gibraltar to assess the suitability of the P & O ship Canberra, which was on the last leg of a luxury cruise, as a possible hospital ship. Without the work done by Baxter on the logistic support for 3 Commando Brigade, the loading and deployment of the brigade would never have met the deadline.
Baxter made two visits to Ascension Island, which was used as a staging post, to assess and plan additional logistic support. Much of the ship-toshore resupply plan and troop movements depended upon the use of medium and heavy lift helicopters.
The sinking of Atlantic Conveyor on May 25 and the subsequent loss of three Chinooks and six Wessex helicopters, together with thousands of tons of equipment, came as a bitter blow to those already ashore – and to Baxter, who was then on board the QE2 with Major General Moore and his staff.
On reaching San Carlos, Baxter took on the demanding task of coordinating the logistic support for both 3 Commando Brigade and 5 Infantry Brigade. Despite the losses, victory was achieved, albeit with artillery ammunition stocks almost exhausted and critical maintenance of much equipment well overdue.
After the Argentine surrender Baxter had the challenge of caring for 11,000 Pows. Commenting in the Evening Standard on the awards list for the campaign, Max Hastings wrote: “Colonel Baxter, the superb logistician on General Moore’s staff, who achieved miracles in keeping the supply lines running, gets the CBE.”
Ian Stuart Baxter was born at Bermondsey on July 20 1937 and educated at Ottershaw School. He completed his basic training with the Royal Tank Regiment, the unit in which his father had served as a troop sergeant throughout the Second World War.
In 1958 he was granted a National Service Commission in the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) and converted to a Regular Commission the following year. Commanding a tank transporter platoon, much of his time was spent in hauling tanks to and from docks in the south of England to the Vickers factory in Newcastle.
In 1961 he had to cancel his honeymoon and report to Pembroke port to move 41 Patton tanks of the 84th West German Panzer Battalion to the Castlemartin Ranges. This, the first time German tanks had landed in the UK and only 20 years after the docks had been bombed by the Luftwaffe, made the task a focus for the press and anti-war protesters.
After two years in Kenya with 60 Squadron RASC, he joined the transport unit of 24 Brigade. This tour included a rapid overnight deployment with his platoon to Swaziland, then a British protectorate, in support of the Ist Bn Gordon Highlanders who were tasked with countering civil unrest in the asbestos mines. In a wide variety of locally requisitioned vehicles, his drivers, each with a football in his cab, enjoyed frequent kickabouts with barefoot Swazis in an imaginative scheme to reduce tension.
Rebadged in the Royal Corps of Transport (RCT) in 1965, Baxter moved to Calcutta for a staff appointment with the British Gurkha Line of Communication. Much of his work involved negotiating with Indian Customs on behalf of Gurkhas wishing to take their savings of gold and the trappings of modern life back home to the mountains of Nepal.
After attending Staff College, he held a senior staff job with HQ 8th Infantry Brigade (8 IB) at Londonderry, Northern Ireland. During his time in the post, Baxter was closely involved in the introduction of internment and direct rule. In Operation Motorman, with eight battalions under command, 8 IB opened up the “no go” areas of Londonderry’s Bogside. He was appointed MBE at the end of this tour.
As CO of 60 Squadron RCT, Baxter completed two more emergency tours in Northern Ireland before attending the National Defence College and then serving as a member of the directing staff at the Staff College, Camberley. In 1978 he assumed command of 2nd Armoured Division Transport Regiment RCT in BAOR. This involved two more emergency tours in Northern Ireland.
The 40-strong Soviet Military Mission to BAOR was accommodated within the regiment’s married officers quarters area. In an effort to improve relations with the mission, Baxter invited its officers to regimental dinner nights and social events. Unfortunately, a lavish cocktail party planned to mark the 60th Anniversary of the foundation of the Red Army clashed with the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. As the only British representative authorised to attend, Baxter was ordered to express HMG’S displeasure at the invasion and leave the event.
After passing the rigorous 12-week All Arms Commando Course, he was appointed Colonel (A & Q) HQ Commando Forces RM. Aged 43 and one of the oldest to have ever passed the course, he then took part in 3 Commando Brigade’s winter deployment to Norway.
After the end of the Falklands Campaign, Baxter attended the Royal College of Defence Studies. He was promoted to brigadier and appointed Director of Army Recruiting. With more than 250 recruiting shops staffed by serving and retired Army personnel, schools and university liaison officers and a lively advertising campaign, his staff regularly achieved the targets for soldier intake and came very close to meeting the target for entry to Sandhurst.
After a last appointment as Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Logistics), in 1990 he retired from the Army and set up an antiques business at his home in Cornwall. He also served for nine years as a non-executive director and manager of a number of Cornish primary healthcare trusts.
Major General Ian Baxter married, in 1961, Meg Bullock, who survives him with their three daughters.