The Falklands - Remembering Craig

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:00:06. > :00:13.Hello and welcome to the last in this series. Tonight, we have got

:00:13. > :00:23.the story of an extraordinary journey. I am very emotional right

:00:23. > :00:26.

:00:26. > :00:30.now. It is going to be hard. regeneration is a one Midlands

:00:30. > :00:34.family travel 8,000 miles to find peace. We have never really had the

:00:34. > :00:40.full story of it. We have had bits and pieces, but we have never

:00:40. > :00:45.really understood it. 30 years after the Falklands conflict, can

:00:45. > :00:54.the island they have been given by Faulkland fire -- Farmers help keep

:00:54. > :01:04.their son's memory alive. Why did you choose to do it? If I can help

:01:04. > :01:18.

:01:18. > :01:23.someone, that is the least we can In 1982, Britain came under attack.

:01:23. > :01:31.In a decisive move, the Argentine forces invaded the Falklands and

:01:31. > :01:38.seized control. And as the talking seems about to come to hold,

:01:38. > :01:48.Argentine military chiefs are prepared for a large-scale military

:01:48. > :01:49.

:01:49. > :01:55.attack. In a state of shock, and nation went to war. -- our nation.

:01:55. > :02:01.20-year-old Craig Jones had long dreamt of becoming a military man.

:02:01. > :02:06.Craig was always an outdoors type, not academic. He was bright, but he

:02:06. > :02:09.couldn't care less about school. He did it because he had to. He went

:02:09. > :02:14.into the 6th form and he only did the first year because his heart

:02:14. > :02:18.wasn't in it. He only wanted to be in the army. He had signed up to

:02:18. > :02:24.the Parachute Regiment straight from school, and when the call to

:02:24. > :02:27.arms came, he was ready. He came home on the Friday evening for the

:02:27. > :02:34.weekend and said there were things going on, that he may get called

:02:34. > :02:42.back. We said, OK, and then the following morning, a phone call

:02:42. > :02:45.came through to say that he needed to report back to barracks. I took

:02:45. > :02:52.into Northampton station and saw him walk up the station, and that

:02:52. > :02:58.is the last, saw him. Quaker's next stop was Southampton docks. On Good

:02:58. > :03:06.Friday, 1982, he boarded the cruise line and set sail the suffer and

:03:06. > :03:11.take to retake the Falklands. As the British task force fought its

:03:11. > :03:16.way forward, every skirmish was affected by hungry media. In the

:03:16. > :03:21.last half-hour, Ministry of Defence has announced... Every minute I

:03:21. > :03:31.could, I was listening to news broadcasts. The news was on

:03:31. > :03:36.

:03:36. > :03:42.constantly. He had Updates all the time. The British are back. From

:03:42. > :03:51.aerial bombardment up, to hand hand contact, the fighting was brittle

:03:51. > :04:01.and bloody. Finally, British troops retook Stanley. There is a white

:04:01. > :04:01.

:04:01. > :04:05.flag flying over Stanley. On 14th June, 1982, Argentina surrendered.

:04:05. > :04:14.Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher emerged from Downing Street to a

:04:14. > :04:19.jubilant crowd. It has just been everyone together. I got the news

:04:20. > :04:26.on video last I could hear it wherever I was in the house. I

:04:26. > :04:30.think I heard someone say, I'm delighted to report that white

:04:30. > :04:40.flags are flying over Port Stanley. I thought, thank God, they have

:04:40. > :04:40.

:04:40. > :04:44.surrendered. That was a moment of real elation. But the relief was to

:04:44. > :04:50.be short lived. Fast Pam and Richard were out celebrating, the

:04:50. > :04:57.air and a stun Gareth was home alone -- they younger son. I was

:04:57. > :05:04.sat watching James Bond, I remember it vividly. I opened the door and

:05:04. > :05:10.there was a man in a suit stood there and I could see over his

:05:10. > :05:16.shoulder a Vauxhall with the Ministry of Defence numberplate. I

:05:16. > :05:26.knew instantly what he was there for. I burst into tears affair and

:05:26. > :05:29.

:05:29. > :05:36.then on the doorstep. -- there and then. I got home about 8 o'clock. I

:05:36. > :05:40.didn't see a car parked outside the house and I walked in, I walked to

:05:40. > :05:46.the door and Garras opened the door and said, you'd better come in, Dad.

:05:46. > :05:56.I walked into the lounge and the minute I saw the guy stood there in

:05:56. > :05:58.

:05:58. > :06:05.his suit, I thought... Dad just said, is he dead? And the guy said,

:06:05. > :06:11.I'm sorry Mr Jones, I'm here to inform you your son has deceased.

:06:11. > :06:17.Dad through the keys at him. He hadn't even had time to put his car

:06:17. > :06:23.keys down. Craig had been killed by an enemy shell on a ridge above

:06:23. > :06:31.Stanley, just hours before the surrender. Out of joy came utter

:06:31. > :06:36.despair. That is how it was for many other families as well. We had

:06:36. > :06:43.letters returned back to us after the war that we had written

:06:43. > :06:53.probably six weeks before Craig was killed, and he never got them. What

:06:53. > :06:54.

:06:54. > :06:58.was awful was they came back, addressee deceased. Five months

:06:58. > :07:06.later on a grey November day, Craig's body made its final journey

:07:06. > :07:14.back home. He was laid to rest alongside 17 comrades in Aldershot

:07:14. > :07:22.Military Cemetery. It was a very difficult day. There was a lot of

:07:22. > :07:30.old friends. We walked out to find a Assam, and there was so traumatic

:07:30. > :07:35.to see so many coffins. -- our son. Recapturing the Falklands have cost

:07:35. > :07:40.the lives of 255 British servicemen. Craig was when -- one of the very

:07:40. > :07:47.last to fall. Was there some feeling that you had completed what

:07:47. > :07:56.you needed to do for Craig on that day? Yes. We brought him home.

:07:56. > :08:01.think he would have agreed with Now, 30 years on, the family has

:08:01. > :08:06.come up with the new -- a unique idea to remember Craig permanently.

:08:06. > :08:12.Three generations about to travel 8,000 miles to dig -- dedicate an

:08:12. > :08:17.island to him in the Falklands. is still difficult now to believe

:08:17. > :08:26.we have got it. I have never seen it, so to just go there and get off

:08:26. > :08:33.the boat and step on it, then I will know it is there. Today, the

:08:33. > :08:39.journey begins. Arriving at RAF Brize Norton it with his father and

:08:39. > :08:45.brother, Gareth can't believe this day has finally arrived. This has

:08:45. > :08:48.been a long process. It took close to two years to get the

:08:48. > :08:53.authorisation, to go through the searchers and make it happen, and

:08:53. > :08:59.now to actually be there, it is like a Christmas that has been

:08:59. > :09:04.coming and coming. Now we're going to get there, so it will be really

:09:04. > :09:10.emotional and exciting. I want to capture it because I want to

:09:10. > :09:15.remember this. Pam is staying at home, unable to make this trip. And

:09:15. > :09:19.as diplomatic tensions rise, Gareth is a where this could be their last

:09:19. > :09:24.opportunity to visit the islands. - - Gareth is aware. It is important

:09:24. > :09:27.because it is important to my dad. It is important because it is 30

:09:27. > :09:30.years and we all know the sabre- rattling that is going on at the

:09:30. > :09:37.moment means we might not get another chance in 10 years. I don't

:09:37. > :09:43.know what will happen, so I want to do it now. I want to do it at this

:09:43. > :09:47.time now that we have got Craig Ireland, to go and see it, to put

:09:47. > :09:55.my feet on it, to be there. It sounds really weird, but to touch

:09:55. > :10:00.it, it is something special. After 20 cramped hours in the air, this

:10:00. > :10:06.air base is a welcome sight. These remote islands, battered by

:10:06. > :10:11.persistent westerly winds, are home to fewer than 2,500 people. Over

:10:11. > :10:15.the past decade, visitor numbers have soared by 200 %. Many, like

:10:15. > :10:18.the Jones family come up are here to retrace history. And with

:10:18. > :10:26.memories of war still fresh in their minds, islanders are more

:10:26. > :10:33.than happy to help. We're just a small country. We just let the rest

:10:33. > :10:39.of the world go by. One morning, we were invaded, and when you have

:10:40. > :10:46.someone with a gun taking you from room to run, checking your house,

:10:46. > :10:54.it is unreal. It is like a nightmare. To be liberated, you

:10:54. > :10:58.can't explain it. It was just so good. That is why I liked the

:10:58. > :11:04.veterans coming back. Unlike them to bring their families if they can

:11:04. > :11:10.-- I like them. They can sit in the sitting room with us and get

:11:10. > :11:13.emotional and we can cry with them. When the Argentines invaded,

:11:13. > :11:21.defined Falklands as we are determined to do their bit to

:11:21. > :11:30.assist the British troops. On a freezing May Day in 1982, Craig's

:11:30. > :11:39.regiment to Cover this woman's Farm as they secured the area. They

:11:39. > :11:44.turned up to the House desperate for the loo. I had one toilet, 12

:11:44. > :11:49.of us, three kids and two babies. There was a queue three deep down

:11:50. > :11:55.the steps into the yard, waiting to go to the toilet. It was the middle

:11:55. > :12:00.of winter, the guys were coming in with wet boots on. I put a pair of

:12:00. > :12:06.Wellington boots in the porch so it we put them on women needed to go

:12:06. > :12:12.to the toilet. The woman's front room was converted into a makeshift

:12:12. > :12:20.hospital. The soldiers beat needed urgent attention. There was a

:12:20. > :12:23.steady stream of ft 3 there all day long. The guys have their but --

:12:23. > :12:30.their boots port as far apart as they could, they would be hobbling

:12:30. > :12:40.along. It was awful. But luckily, it gave them a better time to heal

:12:40. > :12:42.

:12:42. > :12:50.Ten days later they left to continue their advance. She was the

:12:50. > :12:54.last Arlinda that Craig would see. The Jones family up as -- are

:12:54. > :12:58.planning to visit Craig Island in the next few days. They first on to

:12:58. > :13:03.travel to the mountain ridge where Craig was killed. We never really

:13:03. > :13:06.heard the full story. We have had bits-and-pieces, some conflict,

:13:06. > :13:11.that we have never really understood. We are getting much

:13:11. > :13:16.more the story, and I would like to put that together for myself. I

:13:16. > :13:23.would also like to explain it to Alexander, so he has the full story.

:13:23. > :13:33.I don't want it to be lost. I'm very emotional right now. It's

:13:33. > :13:39.

:13:39. > :13:47.going to be hard. Overlooking Port Stanley, this was apt -- a key

:13:47. > :13:57.piece of high ground. A former Marine is acting as a guide. There

:13:57. > :14:03.is a good view from the top. Looking west, we have Mount Longdon,

:14:03. > :14:12.that was the scene of the battle. The paratroopers had trekked across

:14:12. > :14:18.the island to reach their mark. dusk, on an icy dew night, the

:14:18. > :14:22.soldiers went up this slope to take up their start line. The Argentines

:14:22. > :14:30.were warned of the attack when a call Paul stood on a landmine, then

:14:30. > :14:36.the firing began. -- a corporal. By daybreak it was in British hands,

:14:36. > :14:46.but there was a heavy price to pay. During the battle 23 paratroopers,

:14:46. > :14:47.

:14:47. > :14:57.including Craig, lost their lives. Verities. I found it. That's it. --

:14:57. > :15:07.of their eighties. That is the shell crater. You can see the marks

:15:07. > :15:20.

:15:20. > :15:27.on the right. There was a series of It's a poignant moment, and for

:15:27. > :15:30.Gareth, being with his son, makes it even more moving. The fact that

:15:30. > :15:36.Alexander is just one year younger than Craig, I haven't really

:15:36. > :15:46.thought about that until we came here. It really struck me down

:15:46. > :15:54.where we found a way he was killed, it hit me then. Thinking that Craig

:15:54. > :16:00.had gone to his training -- gone through his training at your age.

:16:00. > :16:06.It is bizarre to think he was just one year older than the one now.

:16:06. > :16:12.That's bizarre. You come here, and you see all of these plaques, it's

:16:12. > :16:22.all very real. You can stand here and imagine the people running up

:16:22. > :16:26.

:16:26. > :16:34.and down the hill. It makes you think about what happened. At home,

:16:34. > :16:43.Pam is catching up with some old friends. They met at a Falklands

:16:43. > :16:53.memorial service, and formed a bond. Like his dad, Timothy Jenkins was a

:16:53. > :16:54.

:16:54. > :17:04.paratrooper, and like Craig he was killed in the Falklands. He was

:17:04. > :17:05.

:17:05. > :17:12.shot in the head during the conflict. His body was brought back

:17:12. > :17:19.eventually, we live five minutes away from where he is buried. It is

:17:19. > :17:29.a comfort that he is so close. has witnessed the family's

:17:29. > :17:31.

:17:31. > :17:40.heartache. His mother never got over the shock. She died two years

:17:40. > :17:50.later. The family blame it on the death of Timothy. They were very

:17:50. > :17:59.close. You know that if you talk about a loss, their feelings are

:17:59. > :18:04.exactly the same. We all understand. It doesn't actually get that much

:18:04. > :18:14.easier, but you learn to live with it. It's something that happened,

:18:14. > :18:15.

:18:15. > :18:22.but you don't wear it on your face all the time. The Falklands

:18:22. > :18:30.conflict has led to deep scars on both sides of the Atlantic. 30

:18:30. > :18:34.years ago, one city in the Midlands suffered a double blow. Hereford

:18:34. > :18:42.was thrown into a morning when a helicopter was involved in a

:18:42. > :18:46.terrible accident. The helicopter was transferring them from a ship

:18:46. > :18:52.to another, when something cause the engine to lose power, and it

:18:52. > :19:02.plunged into the freezing at that - - be freezing Atlantic. 20 people

:19:02. > :19:05.

:19:05. > :19:15.died, including seven SAS soldiers. Just a few days later, he -- HMS

:19:15. > :19:15.

:19:15. > :19:21.Antelope was hit by two bombs. A bomb disposal unit was summoned.

:19:21. > :19:25.One of the devices detonated, and the ship was torn open. Troops

:19:25. > :19:35.looked on helplessly as explosions continued the rowdy night. The

:19:35. > :19:39.following day she sank completely. -- throughout the night. In the

:19:39. > :19:45.Falklands remembrance is part of everyday life. Relics a battle

:19:45. > :19:55.still litter the island. Memorials are still a very common sight.

:19:55. > :19:57.

:19:57. > :20:01.Today the Jones family is driving off. They are staying with farmers.

:20:01. > :20:11.On the way Carol stops and shows them Craigs Ireland for the first

:20:11. > :20:13.

:20:13. > :20:20.time. -- Craig Island for the first time. You see that over there.

:20:20. > :20:30.not very big. He is a couple of miles away at the moment. At least

:20:30. > :20:32.

:20:32. > :20:40.three miles. That is great. It's hard to describe the words. We have

:20:40. > :20:50.got something to remember Craig by. It's Craig Island, I'm just pleased

:20:50. > :20:50.

:20:50. > :20:55.to be here. At Carol and Terence's Farm, there is another surprise.

:20:55. > :21:05.It's a plaque created the rededication ceremony on Craig

:21:05. > :21:08.

:21:08. > :21:17.Island. -- of the dedication ceremony. That is fantastic. Before

:21:17. > :21:22.this trip Gareth and Carol had never spoken. He is intrigued by

:21:22. > :21:27.the generosity of giving them the silent. Why did you choose to do

:21:27. > :21:34.this? If I can help someone who liberated us, it's the least I can

:21:34. > :21:38.do. I don't know if anywhere else in the world appreciate it like we

:21:38. > :21:48.did. I've got my son here, he was a year younger than my brother when

:21:48. > :21:49.

:21:49. > :21:55.he died, I can't wait to take him on that island. It's good. I can't

:21:56. > :22:02.tell you how much it means to me. I'm sorry. I'm starting to get

:22:02. > :22:08.emotional. It does mean so much. And it means so much because of

:22:08. > :22:12.what they achieved, of which in itself is important, but it means a

:22:12. > :22:22.lot. It means so much that people here have the gratitude that they

:22:22. > :22:25.

:22:25. > :22:33.have got. The big day has finally arrived. Today, surrounded by

:22:33. > :22:39.locals, the Jones family will live the idea that was dreamt up years

:22:39. > :22:46.ago, and officially dedicated the island to great -- dedicate the

:22:47. > :22:52.island to Craig. I'm feeling very proud. I'm incredibly grateful. I

:22:52. > :22:57.can't say thank you enough for what they have done. For them it is

:22:57. > :23:04.nothing, they are so relaxed by it. There us it's incredible. I have

:23:04. > :23:12.got that emotion. They are a lovely family. It's brilliant. I'm very

:23:12. > :23:20.pleased. It will be a bit sad later on, but most of all I'm very proud.

:23:20. > :23:27.It has taken so long. So much preparation work. We have gone

:23:27. > :23:37.through many emotions already. Now we want to make the service right,

:23:37. > :23:44.

:23:44. > :23:52.and get everybody there. That is It's a great pleasure for me to be

:23:52. > :23:59.able to welcome you here this afternoon to this short but very

:23:59. > :24:09.special ceremony in the Falkland Islands. We commend your love and

:24:09. > :24:11.

:24:11. > :24:19.care does, to this day, Grieve the Death Of Love ones. Especially

:24:19. > :24:26.Gareth and Alexander. Thank you so much for coming here today on to

:24:26. > :24:36.Craig Island. We have placed a stone facing north, towards the

:24:36. > :24:36.

:24:36. > :24:43.British Isles, 8,000 miles away. It's been a long road, but at last

:24:43. > :24:48.crate has a permanent memorial in the land that he helped to liberate.

:24:48. > :24:54.I don't know why and smiling so much. It's a beautiful island, you

:24:54. > :25:00.can see for yourself. It was a lovely service, the stone and the

:25:00. > :25:06.plaque, dedicating it to Craig. It's been three years, but it is

:25:07. > :25:16.the right thing to have done. have had a dream of doing this for

:25:17. > :25:18.

:25:18. > :25:24.quite a fears. The reality is so nice. -- quite a few years. I'm so

:25:24. > :25:34.pleased. It's up to Alex, he will inherit the Ireland one day, to

:25:34. > :25:39.keep the memories alive. Inheritor the island one day. It feels quite

:25:39. > :25:48.weird to think it's here for him to be passed down for lots of

:25:48. > :25:52.generations to come. Back at the farm, they rose another a gift --

:25:52. > :26:02.there is another gift to the family, a shell that was fired in the

:26:02. > :26:06.

:26:06. > :26:13.complex. Thank you so much guys. And for Carol, the last few days

:26:13. > :26:21.have bonded these families for life. I hope now that they feel they are

:26:21. > :26:26.part of the Falklands, part of our family. They are at our family now.

:26:26. > :26:32.Watching from afar, Pam is about to see Craig Island for the first time,

:26:32. > :26:38.in a report that is being sent back. I was overwhelmed. I didn't expect

:26:38. > :26:45.it to be like that. It was quite different to how I expected.

:26:45. > :26:49.Nevertheless, it is quite a beautiful little spot. Richard and

:26:49. > :26:59.Gareth and Alexander looked very pleased. I'm very pleased that it

:26:59. > :27:00.

:27:00. > :27:04.happened. It has made a dream come true for all of us. All of the boys

:27:04. > :27:11.that died were enormously brave, and they deserve to be remembered

:27:12. > :27:17.all the time. I do remember them all the time. It's been an

:27:17. > :27:20.emotional and then lightning today's. 30 years after Craig's

:27:20. > :27:27.death, the family are finally clear about what happened in his final

:27:27. > :27:33.moments. Now, they are satisfied that Craig's memory will live on.

:27:33. > :27:43.have had all my questions answered, I know everything I want to know

:27:43. > :27:44.

:27:44. > :27:52.now. I have seen something quite beautiful, that is in tribute to

:27:52. > :28:02.him, that physical piece of land, that perfect. Everything is in

:28:02. > :28:02.

:28:03. > :28:12.place. It's almost, not quite like the end, but it's nice to know that

:28:13. > :28:16.

:28:16. > :28:21.Craig Island will be there for ever, hopefully. Well done. Good job.

:28:21. > :28:29.What an incredible journey. That's it for tonight, and for the series.

:28:29. > :28:32.We will be back in the autumn with more stories from where you live.

:28:32. > :28:37.If you want to comment on any of the stories you have seen, joined