Aldershot Military Cemetery Part Three

We ended the last post paying our respects at the Great War graves up on the hill in the background of this shot, and this time we’ll take a brief look at the burials down here in Plot A. 

There are 129 Second World War graves in this cemetery, two thirds of which are to be found in this section of Plot A (left background of the previous shot).  Once upon a time there were considerably more; in 1963 seventy six Germans who had died as prisoners-of-war were exhumed and reburied at Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery, and twenty five Italian POWs once buried here were also exhumed and reburied elsewhere.

The rest of the plot is filled with post-Second World War burials,…

…among them some senior officers, this the grave of General Sir Mevyn Butler K.C.B., C.B.E., D.S.O., M.C., who died on 3rd January 1976 aged 62.  Both his D.S.O. & M.C. were awarded during the Second World War.  Oh, and he got a bar to the D.S.O. in 1957 for his actions during the Suez Crisis.

At the front of the plot, three memorials that remember the men of the Parachute Regiment & Airborne Forces,…

…the first listing men killed in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.  With some sort of perverse irony, the men from 2 PARA, in the centre column, include a Lance Corporal Ireland, and a Private England.

The second memorial…

…includes the names of men killed in the Gulf War, Bosnia, Macedonia, Iraq, Sierra Leone & Afghanistan between 1990 & 2015,…

…and then, if we turn to our right,…

…in front of these three rows of graves,…

…the third memorial…

…lists the men killed during the Falklands Islands campaign in 1982.  There are two holders of the Victoria Cross listed here, one that, if you are of my generation, you most likely remember, and one with which you may not be so familiar.  At the top of the left hand column you will find the name of Lieutenant Colonel Herbert (‘H’) Jones V.C., O.B.E., Commanding Officer 2 PARA, who was killed on 28th May 1982 aged 42 during the attack on Goose Green, and is buried at San Carlos Cemetery on the Falkland Islands.

The other is buried here, the third of the three Victoria Cross holders to be found in this cemetery.  Sergeant Ian John McKay, 3 PARA, was killed on 12th June 1982 during the Battle of Mount Longdon.  His citation, and it’s a lengthy one, reads as follows, ‘During the night of 11th/12th June 1982, 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment mounted a silent night attack on an enemy battalion position on Mount Longdon, an important objective in the battle for Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands. Sergeant McKay was platoon sergeant of 4 Platoon, B Company, which, after the initial objective had been secured, was ordered to clear the Northern side of the long East/West ridge feature, held by the enemy in depth, with strong, mutually-supporting positions. By now the enemy were fully alert, and resisting fiercely. As 4 Platoon’s advance continued it came under increasingly heavy fire from a number of well-sited enemy machine gun positions on the ridge, and received casualties. Realising that no further advance was possible the Platoon Commander ordered the Platoon to move from its exposed position to seek shelter among the rocks of the ridge itself. Here it met up with part of 5 Platoon.  The enemy fire was still both heavy and accurate, and the position of the platoons was becoming increasingly hazardous. Taking Sergeant McKay, a Corporal and a few others, and covered by supporting machine gun fire, the Platoon Commander moved forward to reconnoitre the enemy positions but was hit by a bullet in the leg, and command devolved upon Sergeant McKay. It was clear that instant action was needed if the advance was not to falter and increasing casualties to ensue. Sergeant McKay decided to convert this reconnaissance into an attack in order to eliminate the enemy positions. He was in no doubt of the strength and deployment of the enemy as he undertook this attack. He issued orders, and taking three men with him, broke cover and charged the enemy position. The assault was met by a hail of fire. The Corporal was seriously wounded, a Private killed and another wounded. Despite these losses Sergeant McKay, with complete disregard for his own safety, continued to charge the enemy position alone. On reaching it he despatched the enemy with grenades, thereby relieving the position of beleaguered 4 and 5 Platoons, who were now able to redeploy with relative safety. Sergeant McKay, however, was killed at the moment of victory, his body falling on the bunker. Without doubt Sergeant McKay’s action retrieved a most dangerous situation and was instrumental in ensuring the success of the attack. His was a coolly calculated act, the dangers of which must have been all too apparent to him beforehand. Undeterred he performed with outstanding selflessness, perseverance and courage. With a complete disregard for his own safety, he displayed courage and leadership of the highest order, and was an inspiration to all those around him.’  Initially buried in the Falklands, McKay’s body was later returned to the U.K. and reburied here on 26th November 1982.

It might interest you to know that McKay was a member of the Army patrol in Derry on 30th January 1972 which resulted in the deaths of fourteen unarmed civilians during what became known as Bloody Sunday; at the subsequent inquiry he was referred to as Soldier T, and although held likely responsible for firing the shot that wounded civilian Patrick Brolly, the inquiry determined that he was the one soldier present who did not fire indiscriminately and that the wounding of Brolly was unintentional.

Up on yonder hill,…

…I spy my two other companions for the day,…

…both ex-servicemen, and both, you won’t be at all surprised to hear, knowledgeable chaps.  The headstone they are perusing…

…marks the grave of Major Thomas Trout, Provost Marshall at Aldershot for over twenty years, and also his son-in-law, and another who held the same post, William Henry Silk.  And the gentleman smiling at the camera – I suspect because he happens to either own Major Trout’s medals, or very much wishes he did – to the side of the headstone is John the Tall, who, as an Army Reservist Military Policeman and later Movement Controller with the Royal Logistic Corps for thirty five years, is not to be messed with (and never answers to ‘Little John’.  Don’t go there).  He’s also been part of the RLC Regiment Guard of Honour at the Menin Gate.  An honour indeed.

Next post we shall visit the hillside graves of Plot AF, in which the majority of the Great War burials in the cemetery are to be found.

The original Motley Crue.