L1A1 pistol grip mod in Aden

[Gil Boyd]

Sad to think that many of the graves in Silent Valley have been desecrated in the last few months during the most recent Civil War of 2017.
The graves of A&SH and Parachute Regiment soldiers who lost their lives are buried there and the A&SH lost 22 on that one days action in the Crater 20th June 1967.

I recently worked on a case with the CWGC on two missing graves of British Paratroopers who they said were definately buried in Silent Valley from 1 PARA and logged as such in all MOD archives and even the National Arboretum.
After a great deal of investigation and delving into a war, which was slightly before my service in the Regiment, I quickly realised noone in the UK really wanted to upset any locals regarding this very important matter, as they, as the graveyard workers feared for their own lives in the most unstable country in the world at the moment.

It turned out the gravestones were actually still there, inferring they were buried there, but in fact, one of the lads was repatriated by his family in 1967 at their cost as they did not want him buried where he wasn't wanted, and the other had drowned in Cornwall on R&R and his body not found till the following year and buried at home in Scotland. History has been re written on those two young lives. RIP

Thank God MOD saw reason after the Falklands War in 82, where repatriation became compulsory.
IMHO it is disgraceful that any soldier of any country should be left behind after any war or conflict on a battle field, in often countries who detest their presence there even today!