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vii) Congratulatory letter from General Sir Anthony Farrar-Hockley, Colonel Commandant, The Parachute Regiment, dated 8 Oct 1982.
viii) Congratulatory letter from Lieutenant General Sir Richard Trant, KCB.
ix) Congratulatory letter from Brigadier M. J. A. Wilson, OBE, MC, dated 19 October 1982.
x) Congratulatory letter from Major J. S. Williams, DCM, Parachute Regiment
xi) Congratulatory letter from the Mayor of Cardiff, dated 13 October 1982.
xii) Recipient’s original copy of The London Gazette for 8 October 1982, announcing all the Falklands honours and awards.
xiii) 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment memorial service programme.
xiv) Programme and entrance ticket to The Parachute Regiment and Falklands Memorial Service held at Aldershot Stadium on 1
October 1982.
xv) The 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment ‘Op Corporate’ 20th anniversary programme, this including a photograph of the recipient
and a description of Sergeant McKay’s V.C. winning exploits at Mount Longdon as recounted by Bailey.
xvi) Several original photographs of recipient in uniform.
xvii) A quantity of press cuttings, largely relating to the exploits of the Parachute Regiment at Mount Longdon and many including
photographs and quotes from the recipient.
Ian Bailey, M.M. on the summit of Mount Longdon 17 years after the battle in 1999
Postscript
The severe wounds received by Ian Bailey as a 22 year old Corporal at Mount Longdon affected his military career in many ways and
as recounted above were eventually responsible for his decision to resign his commission and leave the service. Shortly after leaving
the army in 2002 he began to have problems with the bullet wound to his hip opening up and after seeing a medical consultant was
amazed to learn that he still had the head of an Argentinian bullet as well as numerous smaller fragments of shrapnel lodged inside
him. Earlier this year the wound required an operation to remove the metal debris and in order that he could undertake this operation
he had to resign from his senior job within the security industry in Nigeria. He has since had this operation, but despite his continued
efforts has so far not been able to gain further employment.
Had he been made aware of the presence of this shrapnel whilst he was under the care of the military, it would almost certainly have
been removed at the time. Were this to have been the case his successful career in the security industry would not have been
interrupted as it has been. Despite enquiries to the Ministry of Defence and various veteran organisations, other than his war pension,
he has not been able to claim any compensation for his loss of earnings.
The following succinctly and matter-of-factly chronicles in Bailey’s own words his experience of being wounded and subsequent
medical treatment:
‘On the night of the 11th/12th June 1982 I was involved in the assault on Mount Longdon in the Falklands. I was the section
commander within 5pl B Coy 3 Para. During the assault on a number of bunkers I was shot in the right hip whilst attacking a position
with Sgt Ian McKay VC. Whilst at first I thought I had tripped over and started to get up, I quickly realised I had been shot and fell to
the ground again, on this happening I was now face down some twenty feet from an enemy position. At this time two more rounds
were fired from the enemy position, one hit me in the back of the neck and the second round which was a tracer round hit me in the
middle finger of my right hand. I watched this round burn out and decided it would be a good idea to play dead. Some time later
another assault was mounted on the position that had shot me. I tried to indicate to the assaulting section led by Cpl John Lewis of 4pl
B Coy where the position was. This position was taken out with rifle and grenade and both the enemy killed. I was then moved to a
safe area and my section then gave me first aid, it was like taking part in a training exercise as it just followed the book, offering
reassurance, giving me the morphine and trying to stop the blood.
I was then taken down the side of Mount Longdon to the Aid Post. This job was taken up by our cooks as they were also trained as
medics. They protected me all the way down the mountain coming under mortar and small arms fire. Once at the aid post I was
checked over and put to one side, my only thought at this time was ‘well someone will come to look at me at some stage’. It is only
when I decided to think about this some time later that I realised having been shot three times that perhaps they had decided they
could do nothing for me.
www.dnw.co.uk
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