Under Fire and Saving Lives: The RAMC at the Battle of Mount Longdon 🎖️
The Battle Begins
On the night of 11-12 June 1982, RAMC personnel showed extraordinary courage during one of the Falklands War’s most brutal engagements – the Battle of Mount Longdon.
Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike commanded 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment (3 Para). At approximately 20:00 hours, they launched a night assault on Mount Longdon. The position overlooked Port Stanley and formed a critical part of the Argentine defensive perimeter. Argentina’s 7th Infantry Regiment held it, backed by heavy machine guns, snipers, minefields, and bunkers. These conditions made the RAMC medics’ work extraordinarily dangerous.
Medics Under Fire
3 Para secured Mount Longdon by 11:00 on 12 June, after ten hours of intense fighting. Throughout that time, RAMC medics crossed exposed, rocky terrain to reach the wounded. They worked in darkness and freezing temperatures, often under direct enemy fire. In some positions, troops fought at bayonet point. This made casualty evacuation even more hazardous.
The Human Cost
The battle cost 3 Para 23 dead and 43 wounded, including attached personnel. Sergeant Ian McKay earned a posthumous Victoria Cross for his bravery – a testament to the courage shown that night. The RAMC medics matched that standard. They reached casualties under fire, stabilised the wounded, and organised evacuation routes under extreme pressure.
RAMC Across the Falklands
Across the wider campaign, RAMC personnel served throughout the task force. The hospital ship SS Uganda treated over 700 patients, including British wounded from multiple engagements. At Mount Longdon, battalion-level medics worked at the point of contact. Their actions in those ten hours saved lives that would otherwise have been lost.
Faithful in Adversity
Their conduct that night reflects the RAMC motto directly: In Arduis Fidelis – “Steadfast in Adversity.” Few moments in modern British military history demonstrate it more clearly.
The Battle of Mount Longdon remains one of the fiercest single-unit engagements since World War Two. We remember and honour all who served – the Paras who fought, and the medics who brought them home.
