Description
Peter Roberts was born in Merionethshire, Wales on 27 September 1953, and joined the Royal Navy as an Engineering Mechanic (Air) in June 1969. Having worked on Canberra aircraft and Wessex helicopters in the interim, he joined No. 846 Naval Air Squadron (N.A.S.) in September 1980. And it was in this capacity that he journeyed south to the Falklands in the carrier Hermes in April 1982.
By his own account, he subsequently flew operational missions as ‘an extra gunner’ in the squadron’s Sea King helicopters, in addition to assisting in the preparation of a Wessex helicopter for an S.A.S. mission to the Argentinian mainland: stripped down for maximum speed and range, it dropped off an S.A.S. recce team before flying to Chile; the helicopter was torched on landing and the crew repatriated via the (neutral) German Embassy.
It was during his tour of duty in 846 N.A.S. he also participated in the Lebanon operations of February 1983 to March 1984. One of the unit’s helicopters, and seven support personnel, were transferred to the support ship Reliant, from which he made several trips to Lebanon, acting as an ‘Air Gunner operating a machine-gun, plus a chaff dispenser.’, finally discharged in May 1987.
Sold with his hand-written summary of the salient points of his career, together with an Ordnance Survey map of San Carlos Bay, showing missile sites; a ‘Crossing the Line’ certificate; Grin & Bear It booklet published by the Falklands Task Force; Intrepid Observer magazine published on board the Intrepid, and a copy of his Royal Navy Certificate of Service.
