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Auction: 20003 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 142

(x) The South Atlantic Medal awarded to Marine E. J. M. 'Jim' Fogarty, Royal Marines, a member of 'K' Company, 42 Commando who has the distinction of firing the first shot of the famous night assault on Mount Harriet on 11-12 June 1982; he also penned an important first-hand account of his experiences

South Atlantic 1982, with rosette (Mne1 E J M Fogarty PO41797R RM), mounted as worn, good very fine

Ellis James Michael Fogarty - or Jim to his friends and comrades - was born on 30 June 1960 at Carlisle and joined the Royal Marines on 12 January 1981. Having completed his training with 159 Troop in August 1981, he was one of just eleven who passed out from the original 64 who started the course. Posted to 'K' Company, 42 Commando at Bickleigh Barracks, he completed his mountain and arctic warfare training that winter and was thence recalled from Easter leave in 1982 for the Falklands War. Sailing on the Canberra they made Ascension Island on 20 April, they were flown forward from San Carlos Water to Mount Kent on 30 May. Completing intelligence on the positions which faced them, it was clear an action on Mount Harriet would be required to clear the 4th Argentine Infantry.

t letter from his mother, written on 10 June sets the scene:

My Dear Son,

A few more lines from the home front trusting you are well and by the time that this letter reaches you the Falklands will be fully retaken. We are all so proud of all our forces out there and try to realise all the hardships you are all enduring.'

She had reason to be proud. When the attack went in on the night of 11-12 June, it was Fogarty, with 1 Troop, 'K' Company who fired the first shot of the assault with an individual weapon sight. He offered his own account:

'Slowly in extended line we moved forward up the shallow lower slopes of Mount Harriet. It was all quiet now after the fireworks of the artillery bombardment. Moving slowly up the hill constantly checking my oppos to each side, scanning the arc to my front through the IWS as best I could while moving, careful not to trip on rock or grassy tussock...Were there even any Argentine troops there, or had they legged it? Then, as I quickly scanned the upper ridges of the rocky crags above us again, I saw them. Two helmet-wearing silhouttes sky-lines against the bright night sky through my IWN. They were moving so couldn't be rocks, and they were directly overlooking the slope we were advancing up...I quietly signalled to Kev (Dale) my section Corporal and went to ground. The section stopped advancing and Kev quietly moved across to me. I whispered to him that I could clearly see two [Argies] up in the rocks at the top of the feature. I remember then getting down into a prone firing position and lining up carefully on my target. They looked just like ducks at a fairground range against the skyline through the IWN, and as I watched them for a few seconds, they looked to be having a quiet conversation. They were, it seemed, completely unaware of out presence after all. I lined up on the centre of what I could see of the bigger of the two targets, the chin area of the right hand figure. Then Kev gave the order to open fire. With a shout of "watch my tracer!" I squeezed off the first round and watched the tracer round race away in the green IWS image towards its target.'

The action lasted another ten hours and the Marines won themselves a D.S.O., an M.C., four M.M.'s, an O.B.E. and an M.B.E., besides eight mentions. The M.C. and M.M.'s all went to 'K' Company. Fogarty was later in the action again:

'I remember lobbing a white phosphorous grenade into one particularly substantial looking shelter which I'd assumed to be empty, the brief scream as the grenade went off...unfortunately indicating otherwise.'

Fogarty appears to have broker his foot in the following days, for this injury is mentioned in a letter from his mother. He was awarded his Medal aboard Battleaxe on 1 March 1983 and was released from service on 31 October 1985; sold together with three letters from the recipient's mother, dated 1 June, 10 June and 29 June 1982, copied service records, besides 26-page personal account entitled Falklands Campaign South Atlantic 1982, 1000 peso note and copied research.

Subject to 5% tax on Hammer Price in addition to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium.

Sold for
£2,500

Starting price
£750