Post by Les on Apr 20, 2007 15:56:20 GMT
By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent
Last Updated: 2:24am BST 03/04/2007
The Victoria Cross awarded to the Falklands' hero Colonel Herbert "H" Jones was put on public display yesterday to mark the start of the 25th anniversary of the Argentine invasion.
The medal of the commanding officer of the Parachute Regiment is the centrepiece of an exhibition on the 1982 conflict at the National Army Museum in London.
Lt Col Herbert Jones - known as "H" - died leading the 2Bn, The Parachute Regiment, to victory in the battle for Darwin and Goose Green on May 28, 1982
He was shot as he launched a daring uphill assault on an Argentinian position.
Buried in the British cemetery at San Carlos on East Falkland, he is one of two servicemen - both from the Parachute Regiment - to be posthumously awarded the VC for their actions in the Falklands War.
Sergeant Ian McKay, of 3 Para, was honoured for his actions at the battle of Mount Longdon on the night of June 11.
It was to be another 25 years before the VC would be awarded posthumously again, when Corporal Bryan Budd, also of the Parachute Regiment, was honoured for his bravery in Afghanistan.
Other highlights of the exhibition include the original hand-written transcript of a radio message by Falklands Governor Rex Hunt to a group of Argentinians who had landed illegally on the island of South Georgia before the main invasion.
It is the first time the note has been put on show.
The exhibition also features letters written by Argentinian schoolchildren to the occupying soldiers in the Falklands, photographs, television and newspaper reports, and recordings of troops and islanders recounting their memories.
Visitors will also be encouraged to add their own memories of the Falklands War to the museum's collection through an online facility.
The Prime Minister also met a group of Falklands veterans on the 25th anniversary at the Rosyth dockyard in Fife.
"I was honoured on my visit to HMS Liverpool to meet some of those whose courage and professionalism served this country so well 25 years ago," Tony Blair said.
"It's a day to reflect on just how much as a country we owe to our armed forces."
Last Updated: 2:24am BST 03/04/2007
The Victoria Cross awarded to the Falklands' hero Colonel Herbert "H" Jones was put on public display yesterday to mark the start of the 25th anniversary of the Argentine invasion.
The medal of the commanding officer of the Parachute Regiment is the centrepiece of an exhibition on the 1982 conflict at the National Army Museum in London.
Lt Col Herbert Jones - known as "H" - died leading the 2Bn, The Parachute Regiment, to victory in the battle for Darwin and Goose Green on May 28, 1982
He was shot as he launched a daring uphill assault on an Argentinian position.
Buried in the British cemetery at San Carlos on East Falkland, he is one of two servicemen - both from the Parachute Regiment - to be posthumously awarded the VC for their actions in the Falklands War.
Sergeant Ian McKay, of 3 Para, was honoured for his actions at the battle of Mount Longdon on the night of June 11.
It was to be another 25 years before the VC would be awarded posthumously again, when Corporal Bryan Budd, also of the Parachute Regiment, was honoured for his bravery in Afghanistan.
Other highlights of the exhibition include the original hand-written transcript of a radio message by Falklands Governor Rex Hunt to a group of Argentinians who had landed illegally on the island of South Georgia before the main invasion.
It is the first time the note has been put on show.
The exhibition also features letters written by Argentinian schoolchildren to the occupying soldiers in the Falklands, photographs, television and newspaper reports, and recordings of troops and islanders recounting their memories.
Visitors will also be encouraged to add their own memories of the Falklands War to the museum's collection through an online facility.
The Prime Minister also met a group of Falklands veterans on the 25th anniversary at the Rosyth dockyard in Fife.
"I was honoured on my visit to HMS Liverpool to meet some of those whose courage and professionalism served this country so well 25 years ago," Tony Blair said.
"It's a day to reflect on just how much as a country we owe to our armed forces."