Alex Shaw, remembered by his friends
I shared a cabin with Alex on the Canberra, I was at the RAP on Longdon when he landed in the chopper and ran past our position to go and fix a gun "up front" it was the first time we had met after cross decking off the Canberra to Intrepid, I shouted to him to pop in for a brew once he'd finished what he was doing. I heard the familiar dull thuds from Stanley as he left our position, the Whoosh, the screams, the shouts for medics/stretcher bearers I ran up the hill, there was Alex, screaming, a shrapnel wound to his right thigh, blood pumping out. We morphined him, got him onto a stretcher and ran him down to the RAP, the morphine never calmed him down, he screamed and screamed, I rested his head on my lap. The Doc in a desperate attempt to find a sunken vein, sliced his right arm, he couldn't find one Alex started to calm down, he looked into my eyes, I stroked his forehead, I cried, then I cried some more, the blood now oozed from the gapping wound, he tried to say something but I couldn't make it out... He died on my lap looking to the skies, eyes wide open.
Goodbye Alex... mate.
Tommy Onions
I was Alex's Corporal in the armours dept of 3 Para. Alex had only recently joined us from his initial training at Bordon. He was however an experienced soldier as he had served in the Royal Marines. He left the Marines and entered civy street for a while then joined the REME as an Armourer.
Alex was married to Ann and had his first child a son a few months before the conflict.
Alex died on Mt. Longdon. He was flown onto Longdon to give support to L/Cpl Steve Lint Armour attached to the mortar platoon, and myself L/Cpl. Simon Melton attached to Machine gun platoon. Soon after his helicopter landed we came under fire from Argentine artillery. Alex was fatally wounded, despite gallant efforts from everyone involved Alex didn't regain consciousness.
He was a real fun guy to have around, always happy and loving family man a "True Gent".
Simon Melton
Contributing to the Garden of Remembrance
© South Atlantic Medal Association 82
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