May 1982

Saturday 1st

• Haig peace mission ends in failure.
• SBS and SAS patrols land on the Falklands.
• Vulcan bomber and Sea Harriers attack airfields at Stanley and Goose Green.
• First air-to-air combats: Three Argentine aircraft shot down, plus two others damaged.
• HMS Arrow damaged.

Sunday 2nd

• Argentine cruiser General Belgrano sunk by HMS Conqueror.

Monday 3rd

• Two Lynx from HMS Coventry and HMS Glasgow attack 2 patrol craft and sink the Alferez Sobral.

Tuesday 4th

• Sea Harrier shot down attacking Goose Green airfield, 1 lost.
  Killed in Action:
  Lt N Taylor

• HMS Sheffield hit by an Exocet missile, 20 lost.
  Killed in Action:
  Lt Cdr D I Balfour
  PO D R Briggs – DSM
  CA D M Cope
  WEA A C Eggington
  Sub Lt R C Emly
  PO R Fagan
  CK N A Goodall
  LMEM A J Knowles
  Laundryman L C Keung
  L/CK T Marshall
  PO A R Norman
  CK D E Osborne
  WEA K R F Sullivan
  CK A C Swallow
  CWMech M Till
  WEM B J Wallis
  L/CK A K Wellstead
  MAA B Welsh
  CK K J Williams
  Lt Cdr J S Woodhead – DSC

Wednesday 5th

Thursday 6th

• Peace efforts led by Peru ends in failure.
• Argonaut Group leaves Ascension.
• Two Sea Harriers lost over the South Atlantic, 2 lost.
  Killed in Action:
  Lt W A Curtis
  Lt Cdr J E Eyton-Jones

Friday 7th

• Peace initiative is launched by United Nations.
• Britain widens war zone to within 12 nautical miles of Argentina’s coast.
• MV Norland, carrying 2 PARA, arrives at Ascension to join Amphibious Task Group.

Saturday 8th

• Newly extended Exclusion Zone enforced.

Sunday 9th

• Argentine spy ship, is bombed and strafed, then boarded and sunk.
• Argentine helicopter is shot down by a British warship missile.
• Argentine military positions around Port Stanley bombarded by British warships.
• RFA Sir Bedivere leaves Ascension.

Monday 10th

• HMS Sheffield sinks while under tow to safe anchorage in South Georgia.
• Bristol Group leaves UK.

Tuesday 11th

• HMS Alacrity sinks supply ship Isla de Los Estados, and sails through Falkland Sound checking for mines.
• Argentine Puma shot down.
• HM Hospital Ship Uganda and Argentine counterpart Bahia Paraiso establishes a ‘Red Cross Box’ off the Falklands.

Wednesday 12th

• QE 2 sails from Southampton with 5 Infantry Brigade embarked.
• Four Argentine Skyhawk fighter bombers shot down.
• HMS Glasgow damaged by a bomb which fails to explode.
• Sea King ditches.
• HMS Cardiff, leaves Gibraltar for South Atlantic.
• HMHS Uganda receives first casualties.

Thursday 13th

• 11th Mine Countermeasures Squadron – requisitioned Hull trawlers HMS Cordella, HMS Farnella, HMS Junella, HMS Northella, and HMS Pict leave Ascension.

Friday 14th

• ‘Active Service’ declared.

Saturday 15th

• SAS land on Pebble Island
• SBS land in Grantham Sound.

Sunday 16th

• Bombardment of military installations in the Falklands by British warships.
• Argentine supply vessels damaged by Sea Harriers in Falkland Sound.
• Argentine merchant ship, bombed and strafed in Port King Bay and a supply vessel moored close to Fox Bay settlement is strafed.

Monday 17th

• EEC renews sanctions against Argentina for another week.
• Argentine Air Force Commander warns that British task force will receive ‘massive attack’ if it sails within range of Argentine weapons.

Tuesday 18th

• Hopes fade for a successful outcome to United Nations peace negotiations.

Wednesday 19th

• Cabinet approval given for landings.
• Substantial bombardment of military targets south of Port Stanley and in East Falkland by British warships and Sea Harriers.
• British troop-carrying helicopter ditches at night, 21 lost.
  Killed in Action:
  Cpl R E Armstrong
  Sgt J L Arthy
  WO M Atkinson
  Cpl W J Begley
  Sgt P A Bunker
  Cpl R A Burns
  Sgt P P Currass – QGM
  Sgt S A I Davidson
  WO L Gallagher – BEM
  Sgt W C Hatton – QGM
  Sgt W J Hughes
  Sgt P Jones
  L/Cpl P N Lightfoot
  Cpl M V McHugh
  Cpl J Newton
  S/Sgt P O’Connor
  Cpl S J G Sykes
  Cpl E T Walpole
  Cpl M D Love – DSM
  Cpl D F McCormack
  Flt Lt G W Hawkins

Thursday 20th

• Sea King helicopter crashes on a beach near Punta Arenas in Chile. Crew of three burn their machine and go into hiding, later surrendering and repatriated.

Friday 21st

• D-DAY – From 02:00 Task Force lands several thousand troops at San Carlos Water, 50 miles west of Port Stanley.
• Diversionary attacks on Goose Green.
• RAF Harrier shot down by SAM, injured pilot ejects and taken prisoner-of-war.
• Two Gazelles shot down by small arms fire near Port San Carlos, 3 lost.
  Killed in Action:
  Sgt A P Evans
  Lt K D Francis
  L/Cpl B P Giffin

• HMS Ardent abandoned after fierce air attack on British invasion force in Falkland Sound, 22 lost.
  Killed in Action:
  AB D Armstrong
  Lt Cdr R W Banfield
  AB A R Barr
  PO P Brouard
  CK R J S Dunkerley
  L/CK M P Foote
  MEM S N Ford
  Std S Hanson
  AB S K Hayward
  AB S Heyes
  WEM S J Lawson
  MEM A R Leighton
  AEM A McAuley
  LS M S Mullen
  Lt B Murphy
  LPTI G T Nelson
  PO A K Palmer
  CK J R Robert
  Lt Cdr J M Sephton – DSC
  LMEM S J White
  LMEM G Whitford
  MEM G S Williams

• HMS Argonaut attacked and bombed in Falkland Sound, 2 lost.
  Killed in Action:
  AB I M Boldy
  AB M J Stuart

• HMS Brilliant, HMS Broadsword and HMS Antrim damaged, HMS Antrim left with two unexploded bombs in her engine room.
• Seventeen Argentine aircraft and four helicopters shot down.

Saturday 22nd

• Field Hospital established at Ajax Bay.

Sunday 23rd

• Bridgehead consolidated with 5,000 troops dug in.
• Eight Argentine aircraft destroyed.
• HMS Antelope badly damaged and set on fire during air attack in Falkland Sound 2 lost.
  Killed in Action:
  Std M R Stephens
  Sgt J Prescott – CGM

• Ship blazes white hot and is abandoned by her 175 crew.
• Sea Harrier crashes into sea shortly after night take-off, 1 lost.
  Killed in Action:
  Lt Cdr G W J Batt – DSC

Monday 24th

• Eight EEC nations vote to continue trade boycott of Argentina.
• Nine more Argentine aircraft shot down.

Tuesday 25th

• UN Security Council debate ends.
• Five Argentine aircraft destroyed.
• Destroyer HMS Coventry, lost during intensive air attacks, 19 lost.
  Killed in Action:
  MEM F O Armes
  CWEA J D L Caddy
  MEA P B Callus
  A/PO S R Dawson
  WEM J K Dobson
  PO M G Fowler
  WEM I P Hall
  Lt R R Heath
  Laundryman K B Kwo
  D J A Ozbirn
  Lt Cdr G S Robinson-Moltke
  LRO B J Still
  MEA G L J Stockwell
  WEA D A Strickland
  AB A D Sunderland
  MEM S Tonkin
  Ck I Turnbull
  WEA P P White
  WEA I R Williams

• Cunard container ship, SS Atlantic Conveyor sunk by Exocet, 12 lost.
  Killed in Action:
  AEM A J Anslow
  Seaman C S Chan
  Bosun J B Dobson
  CPO E Flanagan
  Mech F Foulkes
  Std D R S Hawkins
  RO R Hoole
  Mech J Hughes
  Seaman N G Por
  Capt I H North – DSC
  LAEM D Pryce
  Mech E N Vickers

Wednesday 26th

• UN adopts Resolution 505.
• 2 PARA start advance on Goose Green.

Thursday 27th

• 2 Argentine aircraft destroyed.
• Shore facilities at San Carlos bridgehead attacked for the first time, leaving 2 UXBs in Field Hospital, 8 lost.
  Killed in Action:
  Mne C Davison
  Mne P D Callan
  Sgt R Enefer
  Cpl K Evans
  Mne P B McKay
  Mne D Wilson
  Mne S G McAndrews
  Spr P K Gandhi

Friday 28th

• Port Darwin settlement and Goose Green airstrip attacked by 2 PARA, 16 lost.
  Killed in Action:
  Lt J A Barry
  L/Cpl G D Bingley – MM
  L/Cpl A Cork
  Capt C Dent
  Pte S J Dixon
  Pte M W Fletcher
  Cpl D Hardman
  Pte M Holman-Smith
  Pte S Illingsworth – DCM
  Lt Col H Jones – VC – OBE
  Pte T Mechan
  Cpl S R Prior
  L/Cpl N R Smith
  Cpl P S Sullivan
  Capt D A Wood
  Cpl M Melia

• Scout helicopter in support of 2 PARA shot down by two Pucaras, 1 lost.
  Killed in Action:
  Lt R J Nunn – DFC

Saturday 29th

• Argentine forces surrender at Goose Green, up to 1,400 taken prisoner.
• Argentine Hercules transport aircraft drops bombs on MV British Wye, 400 miles north of South Georgia. No damage.

Sunday 30th

• Royal Marines advancing towards Port Stanley capture Douglas Settlement and Teal Inlet.
• Argentine air attacks resume on Task Force.

Monday 31st

• UN Secretary General presents new peace plan.
• Argentine Special Forces attacked at Top Malo House.
• Task force troops reach Mount Kent, 12 miles west of Port Stanley.
• Argentine aircraft attack British ships with bombs and missiles but are beaten off without damage or casualties.
• Two Skyhawk aircraft shot down.
• MV Atlantic Conveyor, devastated by Exocet missile on May 25, sinks under tow.