Nigel Ely

Nigel 'Spud' Ely served in 2 Para as a private soldier and was later one of the youngest to pass Selection into 22 SAS. During the Falklands War he was on the first landing craft to hit the beach at San Carlos and was point man for the battle for Goose Green. He went on to fight in 2 Para's second major engagement, the battle for Wireless Ridge (2 Para was the only unit to fight two battles in the Falklands campaign) and as the firing died down, he and his comrades found themselves rapidly advancing into Port Stanley. So 2 Para became the first unit of the Task Force into the islands' capital, where they took the unofficial Argentine surrender. After leaving the British Army he worked as a military adviser for the British Government, a war photojournalist and became a bestselling author.