Orders, Decorations and Medals

"Jim was standing right next to me. We had a momentary glance at each other as if to say, 'Oops,' then I was flying through the air... I thought I was dead. I was going down this very dark tunnel, with this whooshing sound, and there was a silhouette of my father at the end waiting for me. Behind him were green fields. I thought, 'If this is death it's not bad'. There was a feeling of peace and serenity. But then I hit the bulk-head which brought me back to reality”

The unique Falklands War ‘Army Bomb Disposal’ D.S.C. group of four awarded to Warrant Officer II (later Captain (QM)) J. H. Phillips, 49 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Squadron, Royal Engineers, who was decorated for his exceptional gallantry alongside Staff Sergeant James Prescott in rendering safe an unexploded bomb aboard H.M.S. Argonaut on 22 May 1982 and in attempting to defuse the following day an unexploded bomb aboard H.M.S. Antelope, which was in a highly volatile condition and which in the event exploded killing Staff Sergeant Prescott and seriously wounding Warrant Officer Phillips, the resultant explosion sinking the ship and leading to one of the most iconic photographs of the Falklands War - Sergeant Prescott was awarded a posthumous C.G.M. for his gallantry and Phillips the D.S.C., both of which are unique awards to the British Army in the modern era - extraordinarily despite the loss of his left arm Phillips was back defusing bombs the following year

Distinguished Service Cross, E.II.R., reverse officially dated ‘1982’; with Royal Mint case of issue; General Service 1962, 1 clasp, Northern Ireland (23675237 S Sgt, RE)); South Atlantic 1982, with rosette (23675237 WO2, RE); Regular Army L.S. & G.C., E.II.R. (23675237 WO2, RE) court mounted as worn, nearly extremely fine (4) £80000-100000

D.S.C. London Gazette 8 October 1982.

The published citation states:

‘On 22nd May 1982 Warrant Officer Class 2 Phillips and another NCO of 49 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Squadron Royal Engineers were carrying out explosive ordnance disposal duties in the Falkland Islands. They were tasked to deal with an unexploded bomb in the boiler-room of HMS Argonaut. Another unexploded bomb lay in a flooded missile magazine nearby. Working in extraordinarily cramped conditions and in very unfamiliar surroundings Phillips and a NCO successfully remotely rendered safe the bomb which was later removed from the ship. This action enabled the damage to the boiler room to be repaired, so that HMS Argonaut regained propulsion and was able to manoeuvre defensively in further air attacks.

On 23rd May 1982, Warrant Office Class 2 Phillips and the same NCO were tasked to neutralise two unexploded bombs in HMS Antelope. The first bomb examined could not be approached until extensive clearance of debris had taken place. They therefore set about rendering safe the second bomb which was situated near the centre of the ship. The bomb had been slightly damaged and was assessed as being in a dangerous condition. They tried three times to render the bomb safe using a remote method, having to approach the bomb after each attempt to adjust the equipment, but on each occasion, the fuse could not be withdrawn. After a fourth attempt, which involved using a small charge, the bomb unexpectedly exploded.

The blast was considerable. Despite a blast route of open doors and hatches up through the ship, the fully clipped steel door at the forward end of the passageway, where the bomb disposal team was standing, was completely blown off and nearly bent double. Warrant Officer Class 2 Phillips was seriously injured.

Warrant Officer Class 2 Phillips displayed courage of the highest order and persevered with attempts to defuse the bomb in HMS Antelope fully aware that its condition was particularly dangerous.’

The following is extracted from a newsaper interview with the recipient:

‘It was one of the images that defined the Falklands war. In Britain, the photograph of HMS Antelope exploding in a ball of fire brought home the ugly reality of a distant conflict. But for John Phillips, who was attempting to defuse an unexploded 1,000lb bomb on the crippled ship when it went off, that image will never go away. "Every time the Falklands war is discussed on TV or there's a programme about the Falkland Islands, I say to my wife, 'I'm going to get blown up again tonight,' because they show that picture every time," he says. "It sends shivers down my spine."

Then a Warrant Officer leading a two-man Royal Engineers bomb disposal team, Phillips was blown through the air, severing his left arm, as the first of two explosions tore apart the ship he was trying to save. His bomb disposal partner, Staff Sergeant Jim Prescott, who was standing next to him as the device went off, was killed instantly.

The previous day, May 22, 1982 - the day after the first UK landings at San Carlos - the pair had defused an unexploded bomb on HMS Argonaut. It had been dropped from such a low height that it had not armed to explode. They had been expecting to continue their work the next day, but were instead sent to HMS Antelope, which had come into the bay with two unexploded bombs on board.

They set to work tackling the first bomb, using the same method they employed successfully on the Argonaut bomb the previous day. But, he recalls: "There was a subtle difference with this one... it was armed, it just had not exploded."

After four attempts to disarm the bomb, nothing appeared to have happened. Unknown to them, the device had a 28-second delay and exploded as Phillips was preparing to inspect it. "Jim was standing right next to me. We had a momentary glance at each other as if to say, 'Oops,' then I was flying through the air. The build-up of pressure had been so great that it ripped the gangway door from its hinges, bent it double and thew it in our direction. It was this that hit Jim in the chest killing him instantly and at the same time took my left arm."

He continued: "I thought I was dead. I was going down this very dark tunnel, with this whooshing sound, and there was a silhouette of my father at the end waiting for me. Behind him were green fields. I thought, 'If this is death it's not bad'. There was a feeling of peace and serenity. But then I hit the bulk-head which brought me back to reality," he recalls.

He did not realise the extent of his arm injury as it was still inside his pullover. He had also injured a leg. "I have always described Jim as a Buddy Holly lookalike. He was lying on his back and there wasn't a mark on him, he still had his glasses on. "I had no pain myself. It was several hours before I encountered any pain at all, because it was so traumatic."

For Phillips, who was quickly rescued by the fire crew, the thought of his wife and three children spurred his determination to survive. "We abandoned ship with the rest. I was on my back looking up at all these flames, the ship had been blown in half pretty much. "I knew that there would be secondary explosions because of the ammunition the ship carried and the unexploded bomb on board. It was only minutes afterwards that the secondary explosion occurred. Everybody that was going to get off was off by then."’

For an extensive filmed interview with the recipient see the following web links:

http://www.storyvault.com/video/view/bomb_explodes_on_hms_antelope_part_1_falklands_war

http://www.storyvault.com/video/view/bomb_explodes_on_hms_antelope_part_2_falklands_war

John Phillips, DSC, enlisted into the Army on 19 August 1958 at the age of 15 as an Army Apprentice. He served a 3 year apprenticeship as an Engine Fitter at the Army Apprentices School, Beachly, Chepstow passing out in July 1961 as a qualified Royal Engineer tradesman.

After completing basic Royal Engineer skills training (including explosives) at No 1 training Regiment Royal Engineers he was posted to 24 Fld Sqn. RE as a Sapper. Where, in 1962 he underwent higher trade training at Brompton Barracks. Whilst serving with 24 Sqn he was deployed to Canada for 6 months. In 1964 Phillips was posted to Australia to serve on the Maralinga Atom Bomb test ground as a fitter running and maintaining the generators which had been used to power the test monitoring equipment.

In 1965 he was posted to Bomb Disposal RE as a fitter. However, there was no requirement for another fitter so Phillips volunteered to serve in the field and was posted to Mundesley in Norfolk where he spent time clearing and disposing of the WW11 beach mines found on a regular basis. In 1968 he was promoted to Cpl and was posted to BAOR (Germany) where he served until 1971. He was posted - on promotion to Sgt – to Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) to run the power station.

In 1973 he was posted back to RE Bomb Disposal where he was promoted to SSgt. During this time he was involved with the rendering safe of over 15 German WW11 unexploded bombs and 5 improvised explosive devices in the UK. In 1976 he moved to Ripon in Yorkshire to 38 Engr Regiment RE. During his time there he served in Northern Ireland, Oman, America and BOAR again.

1978 saw a posting back to RE Bomb Disposal as a Permanent Staff Instructor with the Territorial Army. During this tour he was promoted to Warrant Officer class 2 and became the Sqn Sgt Major of 49 EOD Sqn RE. He was selected for promotion to WO1 (RSM) in February 1982. During his tour as Sgt Major he underwent advanced IED and Chemical Warfare training in America. It was as the Sgt Major of 49 that he was deployed together with SSgt Jim Prescott as part of the 1982 Task Force to regain the Falkland Islands. Wounded in action on 23 May 1982 he returned to duty and was re-instated as Sgt Major in August 1982. He insisted on and was successful in being returned to the duty rota in 1983. He was advised to leave the service but decided that if the Regiment would have him as their RSM he would stay. In 1983 he was promoted to WO1 and became the RSM of the RE Bomb Disposal Regt. He accompanied the Regiment on exercises in BAOR and insisted on serving in the field under the same conditions as his men.

In 1985 he was appointed to a Short Service Commission which was later changed to a Regular Quartermaster Commission. He served as the Chief Instructor (Army) at the Defence Explosive Ordnance Disposal School teaching UK and overseas military students bomb disposal techniques. In 1988, Phillips, not content with what the future held regarding the type of employment he could expect and after being told that, although his career was secure until the age of 55, he would not be permitted to serve abroad or in the field again, decided with this in mind to resign his commission and leave the Army on the Premature Voluntarily Release option.

He left the Army in May 1989 and found employment as a Civil Servant responsible for the security of explosives in the UK. He took early retirement in 2000 on his 58th birthday.

Sold with a comprehensive archive of original documentation, comprising:

i) Recipient’s Certificate of Service ‘Red Book’, confirming full medal entitlement, postings, etc.

ii) Letter from the Captain of H.M.S. Argonaut, C. H. Layman, MVO, dated 30 June 1982 and addressed to Phillips at the Queen Elizabeth Military Hospital, sent prior to the announcement that he had been decorated:

‘... I speak on behalf of all Argonauts when I offer you our most sincere thanks for your courageous action and wish you a speedy recovery to good health. I wanted to write to you but had been unable to trace your whereabouts. All of us were desperately sorry about the Antelope disaster, and remembered with great gratitude the way that you and W.O. Prescott had saved Argonaut the day before.’

iii) Letter of congratulation from the Captain of H.M.S. Argonaut, C. H Layman, MVO:

‘I would like to offer my congratulations and those of all my shipmates in H.M.S. Argonaut on your D.S.C. None deserved it more and we all know how much we owe to the quiet courage of you and Sergeant Prescott who so competently defused our first bomb. Please accept the grateful thanks from all of us and our best wishes for the future. We are delighted to hear that you have made such a good recovery from your injuries, although we are deeply sorry for the loss of your arm.’

iv) Letter of congratulation from the Captain of H.M.S. Antelope, Commander N. J. Tobin, DSC:

‘May I take this belated, but nonetheless sincere opportunity to congratulate you on your recognition in the Gazette. Your Distinguished Service Cross was richly deserved and I know I speak for the whole of my old ship’s company when I say “well done...”

v) Letter of congratulation from Admiral Sir Henry Leach, GCB, ADC, dated 15 November 1982: ‘I am writing to congratulate you on the very well deserved award of the Distinguished Service Cross in the Falklands List. You are the first Army Warrant Officer to be awarded this very high gallantry honour and I am sure that everyone in the Royal Navy will share my pleasure that your courageous work in defusing enemy bombs has been recognised in this way.’

vi) Six further letters of congratulation, comprising letters from: Lieutenant General Sir David Willison, KCB, OBE, MC, Chief Royal Engineer; Major General G. B. Sinclair, CBE, Engineer-in-Chief (Army); Brigadier H. F. Everard, Commander Engineer Support; Lieutenant General Sir Richard Trant, KCB; Wing Commander J. A. MacBean, RAF; Colonel E. K. Johnson, U.S. Army Defence Attache Office; and a telegram from Phillips’ colleagues at 33 (E.O.D.) Engineer Regiment.

vii) Two letters relating to the investiture at Buckingham Palace.

viii) Four good photographs of recipient in uniform, including three of him wearing his medals.

ix) A quantity of contemporary news cuttings.

x) Letter from Colonel W. M. R. Addison, Army Apprentices College, Chepstow, dated 7 December 1982 requesting recipient’s permission to present an inscribed jackknife commemorating his deeds to the Apprentice Sergeant Major at their passing out parade; together with a copy of the presentation certificate and a photograph of Phillips making the presentation.