Dedication of Memorial Cairn to Helicopter Pilot

Jane Cotter
October 2005

Twenty-three years after the death of Lieutenant Richard Nunn RM (3 Commando Brigade Air Squadron), nearly one mile to the southeast of Camilla Creek a cairn has recently been built and dedicated in his memory. The cairn was officially unveiled on 26 October 2005 by Commodore Michael Clapp who was Commander of Amphibious Warfare during the Falklands War.

On May 28, 1982, in the height of the battle for Darwin, Lt Richard Nunn and Sgt Bill Belcher were in a Scout helicopter ferrying ammunition forward to the front-line from Camilla Creek when the news broke that the Commanding Officer of 2 Para (Colonel H Jones) and others in the Battalion Tactical Headquarters had been severely wounded. Ammunition was rapidly swapped for stretchers and the Scout, with another, took off to retrieve the casualties.

As the helicopters moved forward they became the targets for two Argentine Pucara aircraft. While they avoided the first attack, sadly during the second attack Bill Belcher was hit in the right leg by 20mm cannon fire and in the left shin by 7.62 rounds, but survived by being thrown clear in the ensuing crash, whereas Richard Nunn was killed by a direct hit. Richard was subsequently buried at San Carlos. He was postumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions that day.

The Pucara which brought down Bill and Richard's Scout Helicopter was flown by Lt Giminez. He had departed from Stanley in a two ship formation to attack British Ground Forces in the Darwin area.

Bill Belcher explained: "They let down through cloud over Goose Green, completed the attacks on the two Scout Helicopters near Darwin and then started the return flight to Stanley. Giminez disappeared during this return flight whilst his colleague returned to Stanley having had no success against ground targets. He was found amongst the wreckage of his aircraft in 1986 on top of Blue Mountain and it was assumed he had flown into the peak in bad visibility. He was buried in the Argentine cemetery and his relations who attended the internment were the first to visit the Islands, under Argentine passports, since the war."

It was during the 2002 pilgrimage after a visit to the cairn which is a memorial to the crews of the two aircraft lost near Port San Carlos, the idea of building a cairn in Richard Nunn's memory originated. After some unsuccessful attempts to locate the crash site, it was on November 11, 2002, with the help of Albert McLeod of Goose Green, that a track was cut to the site. Twelve people duly arrived with landrovers full of rocks and laid the foundations of the cairn after a brief remembrance ceremony.

Over the past three years several people have been involved with obtaining Fox Bay stone to build the cairn, the acquisition of brass plaques with the inscriptions and actually building the cairn. Part of the inscription on the reverse of the cairn reads:

"The foundations stones of this cairn, marking the spot where Lt Nunn's Scout helicopter finally came to rest on May 28, were erected in his memory by his sister Sara, his airgunner Bill Belcher, his CO Peter Cameron and those Falkland Islanders in attendance on November 11, 2002 at the Eleventh Hour when this site was re-discovered after a gap of over 18 years."

The veterans and Richard's family are extremely grateful to everyone involved, especially Albert McLeod for locating the site and entertaining the visitors in 2002, Freda Alazia who was Bill, Carol and Peter's driver during their 2002 visit, Keith Alazia and Lee Clement who built the cairn, Roger Edwards for bringing the plaques down from the UK where Peter Cameron had arranged for their construction, Sukey Cameron for her assistance and coordination and John Maskell-Bott for coordinating the unveiling ceremony.

Responding to the news of the cairn's dedication, Bill Belcher said, "Well done everyone; we are all immensely grateful and humbled by your efforts towards what may appear to be a minor achievement. Please pass on our eternal thanks to everyone who has contributed. Richard's struggle to save his aircraft, and our lives, is now marked geographically and can be put in context."

Lt Col Chris Nunn OBE RM (Richard's brother) passed on his thanks to, "… all those who have worked so hard to make sure the cairn became a reality and thus a permanent reminder of what Richard and Bill have sacrificed." He also said how "hugely touched" his parents would have been by the effort of so many dedicated people.

First published in the Penguin News on 28 October 2005 and reproduced by kind permission of the Editor

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