Orders, Decorations and Medals

A Falklands and Northern Ireland pair awarded to Gunner E. S. Denmark, Royal Artillery, author of the ‘no-holds-barred account of life as a British soldier’ - Not for Queen and Country

South Atlantic 1982, with rosette (24571844 Gnr., R.A.); General Service 1962, 1 clasp, Northern Ireland (24571844 Gnr., R.A.), together with his identity disc, mounted court-style as worn, good very fine and better (3) £1200-1500

Edward Denmark, who enlisted in the Royal Artillery in 1980 and was posted to ‘T’ Battery, 12 Air Defence Regiment on completion of his training, was a member of one of the unit’s Rapier missile teams during the Falklands War in 1982, a period of active service vividly described in his memoir Not for Queen or Country, a classic example being his account of the Battery’s transferral to shore from the Sir Geraint as an enemy air attack was in full progress. In the event, everyone made it ashore unscathed, and the Battery was credited with downing no less than 14 Argentine aircraft over the coming weeks. In his foreword for the book, Surgeon Captain Rick Jolly, O.B.E., states:

‘In this role, he [Denmark] protected me and my teams at Ajax Bay Field Hospital, Falkland Islands, in 1982. I can recall with gratitude the flaming wreckage of an Argentine Air Force Skyhawk falling into San Carlos water on 24 May having received a Rapier missile from T Battery (Shah Sujah’s) of 12 Regiment Royal Artillery up its tailpipe. We were equally pleased to be able to treat the pilot’s fractured knee following his successful, but very low level ejection.’

As it transpired, Jolly treated Denmark at his Field Hospital for a severe ear infection, the latter brought on by the extremely harsh conditions suffered by him and his comrades.

On his return to the U.K., he was among a handful of men chosen to represent his Battery at the Victory Parade - ‘I felt so proud with my one and only medal pinned to my chest. The throngs of people each side of the street were tremendous. They were all shouting and waving.’

In 1987, Denmark volunteered for a tour of duty in Northern Ireland, transferring to No. 35 Battery, where his unit was employed on regular patrols until February 1988. Initially based at Strabane, he became the ‘unelected search soldier’ of his squad in ‘B’ Troop, and was quickly introduced to the harsh realities of the unsettled province - “Fuck off you British bastard” was the more or less the standard reply to any of his challenges. Nor was local opposition limited to just the verbal kind, his memoir describing regular mob attacks with bottles, bricks and petrol bombs, particulary when patrolling Ballycolman:

‘As we neared the Head of Town, Skid and I dropped our visors on our helmets and lowered ourselves even further into the hatch. We followed the R.U.C. vehicle along a road that ran round the estate with a large wooded bank above us. A bottle flew through the air, bounced off my helmet and crashed into Skid’s visor.

“Where the fuck did that come from Skid?” I screamed.

“I don’t know!” He yelled back. “It’s too dark to see.”

And then all hell broke loose. “Bang”. Our Landrover jumped into the air. A huge stone the size of one of the Landrover’s wheels crashed on to the bonnet. Sparks flew as the stone tore into the metal and then another huge stone landed on top of the Landrover missing Skid by inches. The fire extinguisher we kept on board in case of petrol bomb attacks flew through the air.

“They’re rolling them down the bank at us,” Skid yelled out.

“John, get the fuck out of here” I screamed.

But John was blocked by the R.U.C. vehicle which had stopped. If one of the boulders had hit me or Skid we would have been killed just by the sheer weight. In a moment the stones stopped and an angry mob of youths came storming out of a darkened alleyway, pelting us with bricks and bottles. I turned towards the new onslaught of aggression. As the bricks and bottles crashed into out visors and helmets, Skid and me both began crying out to John, “Just fucking drive. Now!”

Four or five of the mob ran to the back of the Landrover and began punching and clawing at my legs and trying to pull me out. Others were probing in the darkness for anything they could pilfer out of the vehicle. I pulled my boot back and gave a well aimed kick to the nearest face. He let out a scream of pain as my boot made contact and the mob drew back ... ’

At the end of 1987 his squad was transferred to Castlederg for rural patrol work, his memoir describing several further “incidents”, including the occasion his team caught two burglars at work.

Sold with a quantity of original documentation, photographs and other memorabilia, including a G.O.C. North-East District’s Certificate of Commendation, dated 14 June 1981 (‘For his life saving attempt following a traffic accident at Moreton Merseyside, 14 June 1981’); a copy of a letter sent to the Brigadier of ‘B’ Brigade in Londonderry, citing Denmark’s ‘excellent piece of detective work’ in Strabane on 3 November 1987, when two burglars were arrested; and a Northern Irish ensign, signed by Denmark.