A SOUTH ATLANTIC MEDAL TO A WELSH GUARDSMAN, A CASUALTY ABOA...

Hammer

£2,200

A SOUTH ATLANTIC MEDAL TO A WELSH GUARDSMAN, A CASUALTY ABOARD SIR GALAHAD. A South Atlantic Medal 1982 with rosette, named to 24428394 Lcpl M.A. Pemberton WG. Mounted court style with clip to reverse.
The bombing of the R.F.A. Landing Ship (Logistic) Sir Galahad in Bluff Cove on the 8th June was the worst day for the British Forces during the Falklands Campaign, and the worst day for the British Army since 1945. The footage of the bombing, the burning ship and the badly wounded men coming ashore, has become one of the most familiar of the conflict. Of the 595 people aboard Sir Galahad that day, 48 men died of which 32 were Welsh Guardsmen, a further 150 or more were injured, many seriously. Many of the injured had horrific burns, most famously Simon Weston, whose extraordinary bravery and indomitable spirit have become well known to us all. As part of Fifth Infantry Brigade the Welsh Guards were attempting to reach Bluff Cove to support British positions, they found themselves aboard the R.F.A. Landing Craft (Logistic) Sir Galahad, and amidst much confusion they were left exposed at Port Pleasant where they were a clear and poorly defended target for the Argentine Sky Hawk Jets. Following the tragedy fires burned on the Sir Galahad for a week, it was later towed out into deep water and sunk where the ship remains as a permanent War Grave for those who died on that day.
Travelling from the U.K. in the QE2 on the 12th May, the Welsh Guards transferred to the Canberra for the final part of their journey to the Falkland Islands. Lance Corporal Mark Pemberton of the Welsh Guards was at the center of events on Sir Galahad that day, one of three NCO's with a thirty man mortar platoon which included Simon Weston, he is mentioned by name in Weston's autobiography 'Walling Tall' published in 1989 on several occasions. 'Our section sergeant was Clifford Elley ... His second-in-command-was Mark Pemberton, who was in charge of my detachment'. The two men seem to have had a good relationship, Weston recalling an exchange shortly before the bombing 'Get us a cup of tea Squeaky said Corporal Pemberton. His tone told me it wasn't an order, more a friendly request'. The two men were standing close to one another when the bombs fell on the ship and they suffered a similar fate. The disaster that unfolded has been well recorded and Mark Pemberton was clearly fortunate to have survived, suffering 24% burns, in particular his hands being very badly damaged, his life was never to be same again. Again from 'Standing Tall' when receiving first-aid moments after the disaster Weston recalled 'The man beside me muttered something and I turned my head. To my delight, I found I was sitting next to Pem ... He was badly burned'. The men were soon transferred to the hospital ship Uganda where they were well cared for before heading back to the UK.Mark's wounds were so severe that he spent two years in military hospital before being medically discharged from the Army.
Following his discharge he returned to North Wales where he set up a successful courier business. In 2002 he organised a memorial service in Wrexham Parish Church to mark the 20th Anniversary of the attack, an event attended by many Welsh Guardsmen who were meeting for the first time since the conflict. Mark shared some of his thoughts and memories with the press at the time: 'The only escape for the guys that got off was to go back through the fire', 'It was a lottery. Guys were sitting to the left of you, guys sitting to the right of you, guys opposite you - they died, and you got off. So you carry the guilt, and a great deal of thankfulness that you did get off'. Unfortunately Mark Pemberton made the headlines again in 2003 when, due to extreme pain in his hands caused by the burns he received, he was forced to give up work and had to have three fingers amputated. Disappointingly he was initially told he would have to wait 92 weeks for Treatment at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, something which caused him a great deal of distress.
Much has been made of the decisions that were made in relation to Sir Galahad and those on board in recent years. Several books and a number of memoirs have explored the day from different perspectives giving different interpretations of the disaster. Following a concerted campaign by Simon Weston and a number of Welsh MPs, secret Government documents which were intended to be closed until 2065 have recently been opened. As a result of these efforts, on the 17th of May, this year, the BBC News were able to lead with the headline 'Troops cleared of blame over Falklands ship bombing'. Unfortunately this report came to late for Lance Corporal Pemberton whose untimely death had occurred some years earlier.
Provenance Toovey's Auctioneers, August 2009.

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