All about Neil Wilkinson, Sailor in
the Falklands War
Who Really Shot Down Mariano Valasco? Neil Wilkinson from the HMS Intrepid, the
1982 Falkland Islands - Malvinas War and how he shot down the pilot who sunk the HMS
Coventry. This was shown incorrectly on one of the documentaries about the
Falklands War. Now the proof is in and history is being told correctly.
A message to the readers. This is a story of how a British Sailor, Neil
Wilkinson, shot down Mariano Valasco, the Argentinean Pilot who sunk the
HMS Coventry. The plane is shown below and the cannon shell is also shown
here too. The Falkland Island War was in 1982 and now in 2009 we are
planning an expedition to the Falkland Islands, called "When Enemies Become
Friends", to find this crashed airplane.
We also want to get a photo of Neil and Marino standing together more than twenty
years later. Signing our guestbook would be a great support. Also,
you were in the Falkland Islands War, on either side, please write the webmaster
a letter at the bottom of this page. This will be a great help for
recognition of all of the veterans on both sides. Thank you very much.
C. Jeff Dyrek, Webmaster.
The picture of myself cutting the cake was my
21st birthday, we were in
Cyprus, that's the only bit I remember of the day, the
rest is a blur due to excessive amount of beer I drunk!! haha.
That's when I had hair too..
I think one of the most heart breaking sights
for me, was sitting in my gun watching HMS Antelope explode!
That then brought it all home to us and it was a very tearful
moment, watching one of your own ships explode, when hours earlier
it had sailed past us.
We lost many ships and many good men, but so
did they too. War is not just about two or three nations going on a
battle field and killing each other, people seem to forget the
aftermath and the people who have lost loved ones, the younger
generation (although taught it in schools) don't fully appreciate
what the armed forces of the world achieve.
An Invitation
If you were a Veteran of the Falklands - Malvinas War, from either
England or Argentina, I would like to hear your story and see your
pictures. Please send them to the Webmaster. Thank you very much
HMS Antelope
Photo By Neil Wilkinson
Sinking of the HMS Antelope
HMS Antelope
Photo By Neil Wilkinson
HMS Intrepid
HMS
Intrepid
Photo By Neil Wilkinson
The HMS Intrepid was classified as a LPD (Landing
Platform Dock)
The Intrepid was around 12,500 tons when fully loaded with troops and tanks.
On the night of 19th May 1982, this was to be
a very sad evening indeed onboard HMS Intrepid. That night I was
on watch on the bridge, it wasn't a particularly nice night
weather wise, but it never was in the South Atlantic, the waves
were massive and the ships ploughed into the swell. The Intrepid
was sailing southwards and we were cross decking troops from the
Hermes. It is thought that while crossdecking a Seeking
helicopter from Hermes hit an Albatross, causing the helo to
ditch into the dark waters of the South Atlantic. All attempts
were made to try and recover/rescue any survivors from the helo,
sadly we lost 18 SAS men that night, 22 men in total, 9
survivors were miraculously pulled out of the icy water. I
remember I was stood on the bridge wing, we had spot lights
trained on the water searching for anything. It was indeed a
very sad night.
Photo By Neil Wilkinson
HMS
Intrepid
Photo By Neil Wilkinson
My Bofors gun onboard HMS Intrepid.
HMS
Intrepid
A 40/60mm Bofors from Intrepid, I think
it is the Port Bofors,
I was on the starboard side, but they were very similar in
appearance.
HMS
Intrepid
Photo By Neil Wilkinson
HMS
Intrepid
Handwritten on the door is
"Post Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtle"
This was the entrance to the locker where Neil slept between attacks.
HMS
Intrepid
Photo By Neil Wilkinson
This is where I
spent time after the we were allowed to rest after the first day
of attacks, it was a locker on the upper deck, not too far away
from my gun. In this small room, I wrote a
letter home to my mum and family and eventually fell
asleep for which seemed like an eternity, but was probably only
a few hours, I was eventually woken up and then waited for the
Argentines to attack again, they never disappointed us and
always turned up!
HMS Intrepid Video
HMS Intrepid Memorial Video Part 1
HMS Intrepid Memorial Video Part 2
Neil Wilkinson's
Battle Story of the Falkland Islands War.
Hi Jeff,
During my journey down to the Falklands I
originally was part of the three man guns crew but not the aimer, I
usually took the loaders number or supply mans job. We had a
lot of time to practice on our way down and as we went south the
weather got warmer.
The drills included a lot of practice against the
clock, which meant things like barrel changes had to be done within
a set time, miss-fires had to be dealt with super quick because
there would be very little time to stop and think. So as we
sailed down to the Falklands we also had live firings against 50
gallon oil drums. We all took turns to see who could get close
or even hit the things bobbing up and down in the water. I was
last to go, I took aim and opened fire on the barrels, I got the
aimers job after that shoot.
Everybody on the ship did the same every day on
the journey down there, drilled, cleaned weapons and basically fine
tuned themselves for what was coming our way. We obviously had
no idea what to expect, when it is an exercise there are a lot of
restrictions and regulations to go by, when in a war situation, a
lot of the regulations go out of the window, but you still have to
remain professional.
When we closed up for Action Stations through the
night it was really cold and very dark, there wasn't a lot to see.
Because we were out on the bridge wing of Intrepid we couldn't hear
what was being said, so I had an agreement with the Radio Operators
that they would hold up pieces of paper at the bridge windows which
would alert me to any incoming aircraft.
As it got lighter and we could see the land it was
really strange, there was no gun fire or helicopters attacking us,
we had a clear run into the anchorage. The only thing we could
hear was the anchor chain being slipped, then it was a case of try
and get everyone and everything off the ship before the attacks
came.
The ship ballasted down and the four landing craft
inside slipped out, full of paratroopers and equipment, it was
getting lighter now and we could make out more of the land, I only
had a 90 degree arc of vision, on one side there was the bridge and
on the other side was my gun barrel.
The gun itself worked by an electrical scooter,
when the two levers were slid down the scooter the motor would
start, the gun moved by either turning left or right of up and down
for elevation and depression, the trigger was on the scooter.
We were told that aircraft were in the area and to
keep our eyes peeled, it wasn't long before the attacks started,
because of the number of ships in San Carlos and the height in which
the Argentine aircraft came in to attack meant it was sometimes
difficult to get a shot off at them.
The Frigates and Destroyers took a hammering from
the aircraft, but it wasn't all one sided. I really thought
and wondered if I could and would pull the trigger! When in
training there is not the same sense of fear or urgency to survive,
when it is for real, you open fire! Time is irrelevant, family
and friends do not enter into your mind, the adrenalin is pumping
through you, you don't want to be next.
I opened fire as many times as I could, mainly
when the aircraft were passing after an attack, they would come in
at some ridiculously low height and I have to take my hat to them
they were very brave and courageous.
On the 23rd May a group of six Mirage bombers came
around the corner and I opened fire on them, I could see my tracer
either going in front of the aircraft or just behind. As all
the aircraft were trying to escape, one of my shells hit the back
end of a Mirage, I saw bits fly off it as it sped past, approx about
a mile away from us.
That was a very scary moment, because as I
opened fire on these aircraft, a large explosion occurred just off
the starboard bow. The water cascaded high into the sky and I
said to my loader "George what was that?" He replied in his
Geordie accent "I don't know". I said "Don't tell me they can
fire sideways now?"
We found out afterwards that our sister ship
Fearless had fired a Seacat Missile from way down in San Carlos and
had lost control of it. The missile went between our ships
masts and plopped in the sea just off our starboard bow, that was a
very near miss!
My Captain credited me with the Mirage.
As the hours went by, it was wave after wave of
aircraft, as soon as they had dropped there bombs they had to get
out of there fast, the after burners went on, but that used up
valuable fuel which would be needed to get them home.
We were brought food and chocolate bars to eat,
most of the time the food was brought to us and it would be thrown
on the floor because an air attack would start.
After thirty one and half hours sat in my gun, we
were allowed to relax slightly, but it is an awful time. What
you have just witnessed is locked away in your memory vault and the
adrenalin rush you were on is now subsiding, it is a massive come
down. I needed to sleep, I couldn't careless about food or a
shower, sleep was required. I found a locker and opened it,
went in and decided I would write to my family first, this was to be
a sort of last will and testament. The writing was so small it
was hard to say it was me that had written it.
After writing the letter I sat and reran the
events of what had happened, it was all too much to take in, two
years previous I had being sailing around the Med and West Indies,
now I was in a theatre of war! I sat there and broke down in
tears, I am sure many men did the same and still do today. The
days seemed to have a familiar pattern, air attacks through the day
and then at night we would take the SAS out on special ops.
The next morning we would be back in San Carlos at
anchor, ready for the next wave of attacks, which were coming.
On the 27th May, it was a really strange day,
nothing much had happened until late afternoon. I never went
far from the gun and I was sat on a box of ammunition doing a word
search in a magazine, when the shout came up to "Stand Too" which
meant we were under attack. The ship was facing down towards
the south of San Carlos and the barrel of the gun facing forward
with the ship. My loader and supply number were talking to the
other guns crew around the port side, I threw the magazine up in the
air and dashed to my gun, but before I could open fire I had to do
the loader job and flick a couple of switches, basically safety
measures that had being put in place.
Then I started the motor on the gun, by this time
I could see two A4 Skyhawks, there may have being more, but I only
saw two. I opened fire on these two aircraft, I managed to get
six rounds off, the reason why only six is? I didn't have any
other crew on or near the gun when I opened fire, so I couldn't load
anymore shells into the gun and six was all I had.
One of the A4`s was trailing smoke behind it, a
couple of the guys on the lookout position gave me the thumbs up,
which said to me, I had hit it. I wasn't sure though, I knew I
was very close to hitting it.
My Commander a couple of days before the attack
presented me with a T-Shirt for hitting the Mirage. Looking
back at that presentation over many years, I struggled with the idea
that I could go to war, kill somebody and all it was worth was a
T-Shirt!
When the aircraft had disappeared, we had to hang
around for quite some time because you never knew if there were more
aircraft around or if the ones that had just attacked were going to
turn back round and come again.
When the war was over and we got back to England,
I met the Defense Secretary John Knott and I was presented to him by
my Captain. John Knott asked me if I had hit any aircraft and
I replied "Yes, a Mirage". Just as I said that my Captain
jumped in and said, "No, you actually hit two aircraft", I asked him
which one and he confirmed to me it was the Skyhawk on the 27th May.
For many years I didn't even think about the
pilots or there families, we did a job just as they had done.
Until 2007! My wife had said to me that the History channel
were running a special week of programs about the Falklands, but I
don't usually watch anything to do with the war, I suppose I'd seen
enough. But I was curious and with it being a Thursday, I
thought it would be something about the surrender or the Marines/Paras.
So I put the television on and a story was unfolding of an A4
Skyhawk pilot that had being shot down on the 27th May!
Now remembering that on that day, only one attack
came in and only one aircraft got shot down. I knew this was
my aircraft, I watched the program, by this time the tears of
emotion were great, for all these years I had thought the pilot had
perished and here he was alive, the footage was old, but still he
was alive.
It was unbearable, I had to find this man, I did
not know if he was alive still or had died of natural causes.
It took me 8 months to track down the pilot who's name is Mariano
Valasco, we have made contact and are building a firm friendship.
The history books state that my aircraft was
downed by different sources. The Fearless took ultimate credit
for the downing of his aircraft, I now know that not to be correct!
I believe that Mariano Valasco was hit by myself and possibly from
somebody on the ground. As Intrepid was Fearless' sister ship
it was put into the records as her, some records state
Intrepid/Fearless.
Stories like this, the meeting of two people from
a conflict are rare, the possibility of meeting Valasco one day and
shaking his hand will happen and I am glad to share this story with
you.
Best Wishes
Neil Wilkinson
Below are the ships that Neil Wilkinson served on while
he was in the Navy
In the order of his service.
HMS
Intrepid
HMS
Rhyl
HMS
Brazen
HMS Shetland
This is
one of the airplanes that Neil Wilkinson
shot down during the Falklands War.
C-207, Fuerza Aerea Argentina,
Falklands/Malvinas War, 1982
Made by Hobby Master, this 1/72 scale die cast model
wonderfully replicates the A4 Skyhawk, C-207, flown by 1st Lt. Mariano
"Cobra" Velasco of the Argentine Air Force when he dropped three 1,000-lb.
bombs to sink the HMS Coventry during the Falklands/Malvinas War in 1982. It
features outstanding details such as engraved panel lines; a detailed
cockpit with an opening bubble canopy; removable stores including a bomb,
missiles and fuel tanks; an aerial refueling probe and a tail hook; optional
position landing gear with real rubber tires; a display stand and more.
Measures 6¾" long with a 4½" wingspan and arrives ready to display.
#0098065 Price:
$32.95
12-1-2008
Hi Jeff,
I have found out
some very interesting information
today!
I will tell you
first about the pilot then tell you
what I have found out at the end.
Mariano Valasco
flew A4 Skyhawks with Grupo 5
Argentine Air force.
He was probably a
pilot before I even joined the Royal
Navy.
Four years before
I joined the navy a friend of mine
from my home town of Leeds, West
Yorkshire, joined the navy as an
officer, he became the Gunnery
Officer onboard HMS Coventry.
Before the
Falklands started I was given my
next sea draft, it was going to be
HMS Sheffield, Sheffield was sunk by
an Exocet, I stayed on my original
ship Intrepid.
When the Falklands
broke out and we sailed there on the
23rd May that year I hit a Mirage
fighter and he crashed.
On the 27th May
Mariano Valasco attacked and I
managed to get 6 rounds off at the
two planes that were incoming,
although another ship eventually got
recognition for the hit, it was
given to me by my captain as he was
on the bridge and saw everything.
Mariano Valasco,
on the 25th May sunk the Coventry!
My best buddy
survived, but suffered as we all do.
Now the good bit.
When I hit Valasco
he went over the hill with a lot of
smoke trailing from the rear of his
aircraft, the history books state he
was flying C207, but he was actually
flying C215, how do I know?
Well the other day
I was trawling through a lot of
stuff about A4 Skyhawks and came
across a site that had C207 in a
museum.
1-26-2008
Hi Jeff,
Many thanks for replying so quickly to my email.
The offer of the story is great and I am in
contact with one of my friends as we speak about
doing a story for you with some pictures
included. You certainly seem to have a
broad variation of stories on your site?
Since finding out last year that Mariano Valasco
had survived the A-4 Skyhawk has suddenly become
a more fascinating aircraft to me, I have
researched quite a lot about the aircraft and
think they are a remarkable aircraft.
I will now just tell you a brief timescale of
events of things that occurred in the Falklands,
if you don't mind?
The shell is 40/60mm Bofors, that
was my gun. This was the shell that shot
down Mariano Valsaco.
The
engraving on the shell reads: Fired in Anger
23rd May 1982
HMS INTREPID
AB(M)Wilkinson.N
D178349K
This shell was
fired against a group of Mirages, the shell that
hit Valasco was fired a few days Later.
I was on the starboard
battery, I have to admit it made a heck of a
bang when fired, I do believe that I could be
the last person in the Royal Navy to hit an
aircraft with a conventional weapon, that could
be one for the Guinness Book of records?
The gun I fired was a
single barreled Bofors gun 40mm, it is called
40/60mm purely because the shell casing is 60mm
and the shell 40mm, it may be called something
different by other navies.
On the 21st
May we went into San Carlos and off loaded 3
para brigade who had travelled on our ship.
Shortly after daylight broke the air attacks
started. No amount of training can prepare
you for this, it's for real. On the
23rd of May I opened fire on a group of Mirage's
(6) and I blew the tail off one of them.
Most days were the same, attacks, rest, attacks.
On the 27th of May, nothing much happened all
day, until late that afternoon. Valasco
and his wingman had sneaked through and was now
lining up for there attack, I was resting on a
box of ammunition. The alarm sounded and I
leapt into my gun and as they screamed into San
Carlos, I managed to fire 6 rounds off at them.
I then saw a lot of smoke coming out from behind
his aircraft, he then went over the hill.
It wasn't until we got back to the UK that my
Captain confirmed to me that I had actually hit
the Skyhawk, up until then I wasn't 100%
certain.
In the history
books HMS Fearless took credit for knocking
Valasco out of the sky, but I now know
different! My life after the
Falklands took a dive and I suffered from PTSD
and a lot of mental stresses due to the
conflict. Last year with it being the 25th
anniversary I put on a program and found that
the pilot in the documentary was in fact the
very same pilot I thought I had killed and I
decided to track him down. After 8 months
of trying I hit the jackpot and we are now in
contact with each other, the feeling of guilt
was lifted, he has confirmed to me that fearless
could not have shot him down as previously
recorded.
These stories
I had heard happen from ex World War 2 vets, but
I never thought it would happen to me.
Once again
many thanks and I look forward to your replies.
Regards Neil
11-24-2008 This
is the first letter that Neil Wilkinson sent to the
Webmaster at YellowAirplane.com, Jeff Dyrek.
Dear Sir,
I have just being on your website and
found a model that is of interest to me.
It is C207 Mariano Valasco`s A4 that
flew in the
Falklands.
I am very pleased to see that he was one of the most
successful Argentinean Skyhawk pilots. But on the
27th May 1982 his run came to an end although he did
survive. I am in contact with Valasco on a regular
basis, we have a lot in common, he flew his plane on
many
dangerous missions against us. I am hoping
to eventually meet him some day in
Argentina and shake his hand, I am really glad he
survived, after all it was me who shot him down.
Here I am sending you my translation of the paragraph
about the May 27th. 1982 war facts that is now found online in the
official Fuerza Aerea
Argentina website.
Hope this can help you. And please excuse some
translation mistakes.
regards,
Mariano Arribillaga
May 27, 1982:
3 A-4B Skyhawk, flight indicative “Truco”, armed with
parachute-retarded bombs.
Pilots: 1st. Lt. Mariano Velazco
(C-215), Lt. Carlos Osses (C-228), Lt. Fernando Robledo (didn't
take off given technical inconvenients).
Flight took off from
Rio Gallegos AB at 1530 hrs.
They flew into Falklands Sound (San Carlos Sound) 1
minute after “Poker” Flight, also south-north direction, and
confirmed the sighting of 4 ships. They received intense
anti-aircraft artillery fire. They dropped their eight bombs over
Ajax Bay cooling plant.
The
Flight turned left, chased by missiles.
Number 1 (1st. Lt. Velazco) got hit by a 40mm. Bofors
shell from HMS Fearless and HMS Intrepid, in the left plane root.
Having crossed Falklands Sound
west-bound, and over
West Falkland (Gran Malvina), Number 2 (Lt. Osses) saw fire
in Number 1 left plane, very close to the oxygen tank; he informed
this immediately. Number 1 answered that he had a red light (alarm)
on the hydraulics indicator, reason why he exchanged speed for
height and informed he was
ejecting in position 51º 29' S / 59º 32' W; it was about 1700 hours.
1st. Lt Mariano
Velazco fell between Port Fox and
Port Howard. After recovering from the ejection, he
walked two days and two nights until he got into an uninhabited
house where he found canned food. On the following day two kelpers
on horseback passed near the house, he called them and offered to
buy them a horse, they refused but they told him they would call
Port Stanley. In the afternoon a
Land Rover
showed up, driven by a kelper and with an Argentinean Army officer
on the other seat, who brought Velazco to Port Howard.
Lt. Osses came back alone to the continent, with his
aircraft damaged by light gun fire. He landed at Rio Gallegos AB at
1800 hours.
Hi Jeff, I think a kelper is
somebody that farms seaweed! sounds ridiculous but I
think it's true or it is another name for a fisherman.
Neil.
Here's a
little more clarification on the term "Kelpers"
There are huge Kelp beds in this area. Kelp is
harvested and then sold commercially worldwide for use
in many products from sushi to toothpaste.
Click on Images for Close-Up View.
Ejecting
in position 51º 29' S / 59º 32' W;
Hi Jeff,
I have the rough lat and long of where
the Intrepid was on the 27th
May 1982. 51.32S - 59.04W it is near to where we were,
if you look at the bay he came in from about the SE end and when you
pinpoint the Intrepid he flew over the hill towards the west.
A letter from Neil Wilkinson. 12-13-2008
I feel it may help more veterans who do read literature and maybe
don't believe in ways round things. So if my story can
help anyone who is in difficulty, then I am more than happy to do
it. As you say though there have being so many veterans taken
their own lives, the Government is now doing something about it, but
it is a slow process in the UK.
I think the men and women of our countries have a very hard
job in who they are fighting and any casualties or fatalities are
deeply sad news. It is when they return home that the
lack of care is not there for them, and speaking from my experiences
they do not treat you with any respect or dignity.
I had to talk to a veteran a few months ago and he was messed
up, but by the end of our chat although he was no better off, he
felt better that he had somebody to talk to and by the end of it all
i knew everything he had done in the Falklands, because i was
willing to listen and we had a common connection.
Neil Wilkinson's
Recollections of Communications between himself
and Mariano Valasco
Mariano has had a brief outline of events on that
day, but when he does reply to me it's in Argentinean and not
English so I have to get it translated.
So far he has told me that he did not think that he
could have being hit by HMS Fearless because of her position in San
Carlos, which does hold an element of truth. The HMS Fearless
was down at the bottom end of San Carlos whereas HMS Intrepid was
further up towards the entrance.
He told me he was doing roughly 200knots and
had to climb to around 1000 ft. before ejecting. He said that he
felt the plane jolting as it was hit, at first under the left wing
area, which would discount the HMS Fearless as she was on the right
of the plane. Also it could discount the HMS Intrepid
initially because it could have being ground fire that hit him.
Or it could have being my shell exploding underneath the aircraft!
Although the HMS Intrepid was to the right of
the planes, we were on a better angle, so as you looked at the
aircraft I would be looking at an angle from the nose to 20%, so I
could see the left side as well, but he was flying about to evade
being hit, so it is also possible that my shell exploded first!
The next thing I saw was a lot of smoke coming
out of the plane, at first I thought it was after burners, then
after a short while we were told it had crashed somewhere.
Once the aircraft went over the hills or low lying land we were
unable to see them or tell which direction they had gone.
The most nerve racking thing was knowing they
were coming and then suddenly from nowhere there would be aircraft
all over the place. Bombs and rockets were flying about and
you could then hear the sounds of our guns and AA fire, the noise
was tremendous.
GPMG`s and larger AA guns firing, then
Anti-Aircraft Missiles being launched, 20mm Cannon's firing, then
there would be an explosion as an aircraft took a direct hit.
As I said before, I have an utmost admiration
for those brave pilots, they flew there aircraft to the limits and
paid the ultimate sacrifice.
I think one of the most heart breaking sights
for me, was sitting in my gun watching HMS Antelope explode!
That then brought it all home to us and it was a very tearful
moment, watching one of your own ships explode, when hours earlier
it had sailed past us.
We lost many ships and many good men, but so
did they too. War is not just about two or three nations going on a
battle field and killing each other, people seem to forget the
aftermath and the people who have lost loved ones, the younger
generation (although taught it in schools) don't fully appreciate
what the armed forces of the world achieve.
1-21-2009
The initial credit and in some books say
Fearless plugged Mariano, some say both ships hit him, but I'm
not sure Fearless did actually hit him.
But according to Quinny a junior seaman on
Fearless got the praise for it by his captain, then I got praise
for it off mine! But when I look back, I have to admit I
was exceptionally close to hitting him and I did think I had ,
but then the doubts creep in and I dismissed it, until we got
back and my captain said I had hit it in front of the Defense
secretary. So I don't think he would have said anything if
I hadn't hit it!
7-6-2008 Hi Jeff,
Back in the Falklands and in every war your training and
expertise takes you to another level. Although you
are an individual, you have a massive team around you,
from medics to chefs, gunners to signal men. My
job onboard intrepid was to protect that team. I
lost sight of this fact and was reminded of it some
years ago by an ex SAS member, thanks to him I started
on my road to understanding me.
Thanks.
Regards
Neil
Photo from Neil Wilkinson
The A4 is C207, Mariano Valasco's plane! the picture
is courtesy of Mariano Arribillaga
and the aircraft is in the Museo Nacional do Aeronautica, Moron, Buenos
Aires, Argentina.
Photos taken Later aboard the HMS Brazen
Queen Elizabeth on the HMS Brazen 1986
Photo by Neil Wilkinson
Here you can see Queen Elizabeth
listening to Neil Wilkinson. Neil didn't tell me what he was
saying at the moment, but the Queen is really interested and was
enjoying what he is saying. Also, take a look at Neil in this
picture and compare it to the picture toward the top of the page
when Neil was cutting his 21st Birthday Cake. What a
difference in his age. He is a man here and in the top
picture, he was just a kid.
Neil Wilkinson meeting
Her Majesty the Queen
onboard HMS Brazen back in 1986,
The Brazen was my next draft after the Intrepid and while serving on her,
we had the Queens's son, Prince Andrew onboard as our helicopter pilot,
so we did a visit to London and the Queen and Princess Diana came
onboard and I met her, she was charming and everything
you would expect from a Queen. In 2007 I was honored to be invited to
Buckingham Palace, to the Queens garden party
A note from the Webmaster: Please take a good look
at this picture, Neil is talking and Queen Elizabeth is listening very
intently. She has a legitimate smile and she is enjoying what he is
saying. She is a good lady.
We had the Queens's son, Prince Andrew onboard the
HMS Intrepid as our helicopter pilot he was there
and he played as much a part as we all did when we were ready for battle.
Forward and Aft Seawolf missiles
systems firing a live missile
back in 1985 in the Gulf.
The
Final Resting Place for the Aircraft Carrier
HMS Intrepid 2008
The
veterans who attended the book launch, please note the exhibits in
the background. Neil Wilkinson our starboard gunner in the conflict
is 2nd from the right. I (Mike
Quinn - that's me- is on the 4th from the right at the
back).
Pictured
in Fareham Creek the next morning where we gathered to see our old
ship Intrepid, many of us for the first time in 25 years. The
veterans are from the left, Steve Dickinson, Rab Carrigan, Russell
Morgan, George Heron, Neil Wilkinson and Mike Quinn.
The Intrepid's final destination
in Liverpool, in September 2008, where she is being dismantled for
recycling, and is contracted by the owners Leavesley International.
The Leavesley company were very kind in allowing up 40 of our
veterans to gather for a final goodbye to HMS Intrepid, our former
home 25 years earlier. We had a fantastic day exploring our old ship
whilst the memories came flooding back.
The Leavesley company were very
kind in allowing up 40 of our veterans to gather for a final goodbye
to HMS Intrepid, our former home 25 years earlier. We had a
fantastic day exploring our old ship whilst the memories came
flooding back.
About Neil Wilkinson
Born in 1959 and lived in
Leeds, West Yorkshire,
England. I didn't have the happiest of childhoods, my mum
divorced in the late sixties and got involved with another man, he
was ok to start with, then things started taking a turn for the
worse, my elder brother and myself took the full brunt of it and we
got regular beatings, what for we didn't know.
It got even worse for my mum when the guy actually
hospitalized her, he then went for me for the very last time, he
made the mistake of giving me time to pick up a carving knife and as
he made his move so did I, I didn't stab him and just warned him
that if he came any closer what would happen to him, he knew I meant
it.
I suppose I joined the Royal Navy to escape
from this sort of thing, I wasn't getting on with the foreman at
work and he treated me like a dog, whistling me and give me mundane
jobs.
I eventually left home in 1979 and signed up, I
was loving it, I was in training learning my radar course when my
father died and I was automatically taken off the course, then
because there wasn't another course starting for some time I was
left with 3 options, Steward, Gunnery or leave the navy and
re-enlist at some other date.
There was no way I could go back, so I opted
for the
Gunnery school in Plymouth.
I loved every minute of the course and
eventually got my first ship, it was waiting for me in Plymouth
sound, HMS Intrepid, she was what is classed as an LPD (landing
platform dock) and it was a daunting experience for me as the
biggest ship I had ever seen was just in pictures.
We sailed that night, we went straight to
Norway with a
full embarkation of Royal Marines, the trips abroad were endless and
after we had being to the
West Indies and
Med I was coming to the end of my time onboard Intrepid.
I had options, either go to a shore
establishment or get another ship, I fancied the thought of getting
another ship and travelling some more, my next draft came through
and it was to be HMS Sheffield, a type 42 destroyer.
All this changed though in early 1982 when
Argentina
decided they would invade British soil, although when they did at
first we had not got a clue where the Falklands were!
It became apparent that I would be needed to
stay onboard Intrepid and a lot of men came back to Intrepid who had
previously left her because the ship was going into a standby role.
So my draft to Sheffield was cancelled and I
set sail with the ship, fully loaded with ammunition, stores etc and
all got ready in two weeks.
We joined the rest of the task force, having
being one of the last to be made ready, our ship was a vital piece
in the machinery, we were to land 3 para in San Carlos.
The night before we landed the para's I was
coming out of my mess and stood in front of me was a guy who 2 years
previous had being a barman in my local bar pulling me pints of beer
and was now in the para's, we had a good chat before he went off and
got all his ammunition ready for the landings the next morning.
We closed up at action stations through the
night, it was bitterly cold and dark, entering into San Carlos was
so strange, there was no gun fire from the enemy, just the sound of
ships dropping anchors!
As daylight broke the silence was short-lived,
we were then subjected to a constant wave of aircraft ducking and
diving into the bay and then in a flash gone, the pilots were very
brave and courageous.
After sitting in my gun for over 31 hours we
were eventually allowed to rest, I found a quiet spot and decided to
write a letter home to my mum, telling her ho
w much I loved her and
that I didn't think I would be coming home, at least not alive!
Then before I went to sleep I prayed and cried
myself to sleep, the next few days were similar.
When it was all over and I got home, my mum
knew there was something wrong, she told me I wasn't the same person
that went away, which is quiet understandable.
I left the Royal Navy in 1989. As the
years rolled on I was having some major problems, my marriage was on
the rocks and I was loosing it gradually, no money although I always
worked.
I was eventually diagnosed with having PTSD,
for people who have never had this or heard of it, it is one of the
most horrendous things that could happen, it changes a person and
you have to live with it forever. I relive the Falklands every day
of my life, but I learnt how to control my problem, not by doctors
or shrinks, by finding out how it all works, learning techniques and
making myself aware when the problems are going to hit me, how to
cope with it all and it works for me.
The Royal Navy like every branch in the armed
forces taught me discipline and how to live, i can honestly say it
was the best ten years of my life and I would join again if I had my
time again.
I am now remarried and I have two children,
plus two children from my previous marriage, my two boys are grown
up are like brothers to me.
My life has recently become very interesting
lately after discovering that one of the pilots I was credited with
shooting down in the Falklands had survived, after 8 months of
trying to locate the pilot I eventually found him in February 2008,
we are in contact through the internet and I hope that one day we
could meet.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Regards
Neil
A Painting by Neil Wilkinson 2009
An in progress painting by Neil Wilkinson 2009
Look at the painting by Neil above, there are fighter
jets
flying in super fast and heading everywhere. In the Falklands Sound,
the jets came in at a very low altitude from over a very high hill.
There was no warning before an attack and this was very dangerous
for Neil and the crew. They never knew when they were going to be
seriously attacked.
A Still in progress painting by Neil Wilkinson 2009
A Painting by Neil Wilkinson 2009
A Painting by Neil Wilkinson 2009
Date: Saturday, 13 June, 2009, 12:24 AM
Hi Jeff,
This is a picture I drew last night at
art group, I thought you may like it?
Take care
Neil
Neil and I sometimes have long discussions
about world problems and the atrocities of war. Here is one of
your latest sessions. C. Jeff Dyrek
6 August 2009
I am excited but also now getting nervous and jittery.
I spend my days practicing what I will do, say and hope I
don't fluff anything. haha
Because this is going national with a potential audience
of 20 million people, then there are the people abroad that
will watch it.
My life is quite mundane and routine and this will blow
that apart for a while, I am mentally prepared, or so I
think!
A funny thing happened today at work, I don't know if
this has ever happened to you Jeff and you are the only
person I have told, but I was at work and I was thinking
what to say as I was doing my job.
Straight out of the blue I got all emotional and felt
myself ready to cry, don't ask me how or why but this
feeling was overwhelming, but it wasn't making me sad or
depressed, it was the opposite, why? Neil
7 August 2009
Dear Neil,
I break out crying at air shows when they fly the missing man
formation. When I watch the movies and documentaries about our
soldiers, I start to cry. I can't tell people the war stories,
or I break up too. It's difficult and the real reason that I
start to cry, is why did these men give their lives when my
country is pushing drugs, sex, violence and foul language on
every media form and people who speak against it are the ones
that get talked down to. I'm soap boxing here right now, but
the U.S. Congress gave Michael Jackass a moment of silence, yet
they won't give a man who lost an arm and had had his whole face
burned off in the Iraq war disability. We have 400,000 homeless
disabled vets, yet the government will not even give them
welfare, because they don't have a home address. So these guys
live in the streets of our cities. Chicago alone has 35,000
homeless disabled veterans living in the streets. I've seen
them, they sleep in cardboard boxes along the highways, they
sleep on park benches or in the doorways of apartments and in
alleys eating their meals out out of garbage cans. This is why
I cry. Why did these guys fight with their lives when a rich
pervert child molester druggie gets a moment of silence but the
Korean War Veterans Memorial in San Diego had to be torn down
because one atheist said that a cross above the grave offended
him.
When I look at TV on a family show, Joan Rivers was advertising
her new program, at the same time a dog was hunching her elbow.
The next ads talk about how Viagra can make your life much
better and you will enjoy more sex. The kids cartoons on
Saturday morning say things like, "We need a massive, all girl,
sex orgy, we're all turning gay." This is all psychological
warfare against our countries and we, the U.S. has five percent
of the population, yet twenty five percent of the prison
population. At the same time the news says that they just don't
understand why. My ex girlfriends twelve year old boy said for
me to listen to this, this is his favorite song. The song went
like this, " My dick is hard, my balls are blue, so Blankity
Blank Blank, F You." I don't remember the Blankety blank, blank
part, but this what our kids are listening to. How can we win.
Video games, like "Grand Theft Auto" simulates grabbing a gun,
stealing a car, and killing a cop. Yet this and the music is
all legal, but when I asked the former Chief of Police, the
current Sheriff, and the States Attorney if I would go to jail
for saying these exact same things to a ten year old girl, that
are on kids programs, I will go to jail. So I realize that it's
all about money. We have he highest lawyer to citizen ratio of
any country in the world, they all make money. We have
privatized prisons, they all make money. We have security
companies of all types, they all make money. We have drug
dealers and politicians and police who take bribes, they make
money. Crime has been one of the biggest industries in the
United States, so that's why they promote crime in every way,
because they make money. So why did our soldiers die, so big
industry could make money. That's why I cry, because I know
that this is the truth, yet we are told that we are protecting
our country. If we were protecting our country, we would put
all of Hollywood in prison, that would protect the country. But
the United States is falling and it will happen really fast.
Sorry for soap boxing, but the truth must be told and your
letter really kicked this into my mind. I'm trying to forget
all of this and ignore this because I know that there is no way
to stop it, so I'm not going to try. Our country will fail and
I have camping gear and will be away from the cities.
Take care,
Jeff.
7 August 2009
Hi Jeff,
Wow, that was some mighty powerful stuff!
But, I do agree with you on that one, people have and
will always make millions on the backs of our veterans,
whether it be doctors, shrinks or some other way.
The veterans are then left to fend for themselves (tread
water or sink) the problem is that the clever people in
politics who have never fired a rifle or driven a tank or
worse killed somebody always like the media attention, but
for doing what? sending a bunch of kids into battle! they
don't realize that you can only tread water for so long, you
become tired of trying to survive and give in, that is why
we have and always will loose our veterans to suicide, not
enough was done in the first place to help these poor people
and now that they have realized the failings of yesteryear
it is just a big massive patching up job.
That's it for now, soap boxing is good.
Take care.
Neil
From the Webmaster.
Yes, after a war the was isn't over in the experiences and minds
of the soldiers. What these people still retain is worse than
any horror show that you have every imagined. This is why
there were so many soldiers from the Falklands war, from both
sides, that committed suicide than were killed in the war.
Neil summed this up better than I have ever heard anyone else
describe the effects. "The
veterans are then left to fend for themselves (tread water or
sink) the problem is that the clever people in politics who have
never fired a rifle or driven a tank or worse killed somebody
always like the media attention, but for doing what? sending a
bunch of kids into battle! they don't realize that you can only
tread water for so long, you become tired of trying to survive
and give in, that is why we have and always will loose our
veterans to suicide, not enough was done in the first place to
help these poor people and now that they have realized the
failings of yesteryear it is just a big massive patching up
job."
In the United States, alone, there
are over 400,000 homeless disabled veterans, with no place to
live and no hope for the future, no hospital care and no
disability payments. At the same time a Congressman can
serve a four year term and then collect a $15,000 per month
retirement, immediately after his term is up. It's a
disgrace on our nation, the United States, to have these kinds
of differences.
Recently I listened to a man say
that anyone in the service is an idiot. Another man
recently said that war isn't anywhere as bad as the TV makes it
look like. He was never in the service and at the same
time he lives in his grandmother-in-laws house and has never
paid rent and pays no bills. He raised his family, or
should I say made babies, yet the Grandmother, Great-grandmother
to the babies raised the kids. Furthermore, this man put
her in the smallest room in the house, her house, and also uses
her room as a storage room and only allows her kitty litter box
to be in that room. I'm telling you the truth.
Soldiers, the very people who willingly gave their lives to
serve our country and make sure that everyone can enjoy the
freedom and wealth that we see now, are the very people who are
treated the worse and put down, repeatedly, by people who have
never been in the service and who have never even as much as
experienced hard times.
The statements made by Neil in his
letter above are the very reason that we have put this
expedition together, "When Enemies Become Friends." It's because
our enemies are just the young kids of the country who are doing
a job. But the people who make the wars are the people who
have never experienced the horror of reality.
