Falklands War memorial finds new home on St David’s Day

IT WAS one of the most simple yet poignant memorials of the Falklands War: a roughly hewn wooden cross, carved and erected by members of the Welsh Guards to honour their 32 fallen comrades killed by an Argentinian airstrike on the Sir Galahad troop ship.

Now the cross, first erected at Bluff Cove in the Falklands Islands in June 1982 will be blessed, rededicated and installed today in the garrison church in the Guards’ new home of Windsor.

The cross was the subject of one of the most familiar photos of the Falklands War, depicted on top of a hastily built stone cairn with Company Sergeant Major Charles Carty standing alongside, his boots set in the snow.

Today, Brigadier Johnny Rickett, the Guards’ commanding officer during the Falklands War, and Captain Jim Everett, then platoon commander, will carry it down the aisle at Holy Trinity Garrison Church during the Welsh Guards’ St David’s Day service.

The church will be the Guards’ spiritual base in its new home town.

Captain William Clarke, the spokesman for the Guards, said: “The loss of our men in the Falklands is a terrible moment in our history.

“We are taking the cross to Windsor because we are bringing our dead with us to our new home”.

Veterans of the conflict will join serving Guards at their Windsor barracks and the service.

The Falklands War was so unexpected that the Welsh Guards were unprepared and had to do their rifle training on board ship en route to the South Atlantic.

Sixteen others were killed in the Sir Galahad strike and Simon Weston was among the injured.