Erskine charity unveils a moving tribute to mark 40th anniversary of the Falklands conflict
dailyrecord.co.ukA monument that stands at 5ft tall in Bishopton - called Shadow of the Brave - has been revealed as it marks the 40th anniversary of the Falklands war.
The structure is a silhouette of Erskine Veteran Bill McDowall kneeling and paying his respects to his fallen comrades.Bill, 61, fought in the Falklands war when he was 21 year old, and now works and lives in the Erskine Veterans Village.He also served in the Germany, Kenya, Cyprus and Northern Ireland and his medals are General Service with NI clasp and South Atlantic with rosette.Bill recalls: “In early April 1982, like everyone else in the UK, we watched in disbelief as the events in the Falkland Islands unfolded in the news.
I remember thinking “How did the Argentinians manage to get up the Orkneys”, then I saw for the first time on the TV just were the Falklands are.” Events continued to unfold, but as far as 2nd Scots Guards were concerned, they were not involved as they were carrying out public duties in London by guarding Buckingham Palace, St James Palace and the Tower of London.
In fact, at this time, were actually preparing for a Major General’s inspection of the battalion in Chelsea Barracks. Around April 18, 1982 , Bill headed into the barracks for what he thought was a normal day’s work.On arrival he was told that the Commanding Officer, LT Colonel Scott, would be addressing the battalion in the gymnasium later in the morning.
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