Cold-Ravaged Bodies Nursed at Douglas Settlement
Dear Fellow Earthlings, On the 29th of May1982 the people of Port Stanley were hearing news that British ground forces had moved overland more than two-thirds of the distance between San Carlos and them. What was on the mind of Brigadier Thompson (in charge of the land operation at the time) and his staff, however, was how they could provide sufficient ammunition to their advancing forces without having any heavy duty helicopters to transport it and other combat necessities from San Carlos to the vicinity of Port Stanley. Compounding the problem was the fact that more troops, in the form of 5 Brigade, now arriving in the Falklands from England by way of South Georgia, would need to be provided for logistically as they, too, moved on Port Stanley. Logistics was constituting a huge challenge.
All the plans made before the loss of Atlantic Conveyor and the heavy-lift Chinook helicopters it had had on board before it was destroyed by Argentine aircraft were meaningless. Without those helicopters, moving men and materials across the northern part of East Falkland was being hampered. And, of course, winter was fast approaching --- which meant the "autumn" conditions the men had been facing -- conditions that would be called "winterlike" in most places -- would now give way to truly "winter" conditions... In the face of all this 3 Commando Brigade continued their foot march across East Falkland, towards the chain of hills surrounding Port Stanley. 45 Commando, which had left San Carlos on May 27, after a methodical march over the rugged terrain of East Falkland, arrived at Douglas settlement at 10 p.m. Not a few of the exhausted marines arriving at Douglas settlement were suffering from sprained ankles, very sore muscles, and deep fatigue. Fortunately the exhausted men would be able to rest for 36 hours in Douglas before moving on in their march toward Port Stanley. In the hamlet the exhausted men slept and tended in other ways to their exhausted, cold-ravaged bodies.
Steve Walker Earthsaver and Jingles Creator
© 2013 Steve Walker, The Jingles-The Japan Foundation for English Pronunciation, Summit Enterprises.