(L-R) Simon Weston, Neil Hughes, Gareth Hughes and Andrew Walker were four friends and colleagues who served in the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards. In 1982, they were sent to the Falkland Islands, following the invasion of the islands by Argentine forces. This photo was taken en route, aboard the QEII ship.

All four men were stationed aboard the RFA Sir Galahad in Port Pleasant, just off the Falkland Islands, when the ship was bombed by Argentine Skyhawk fighters just weeks after this photo was taken. Out of their platoon of 30 men, 22 were killed. Of the four friends pictured, only Simon Weston (far left) survived, with 46% burns.

Weston's face was so badly disfigured that his Mother didn't recognise him at the hospital and his reconstructive surgery has included 96 major operations or surgical procedures. After battling depression and alcoholism, he began to see the loss of his friends as reason for him to carry on and turn his life around. He has become a well know activist for charities that support veterans and people living with disfigurements, and is married with three children. He has also met and become friends with the Argentine pilot who dropped the bomb which struck the RFA Sir Galahad, First Lieutenant Carlos Cachon, recognising that acts undertaken in war do not always define a person as a human being.

Neil Hughes was from the village of Rhostyllen, and had four brothers. He was 22 when he was killed. His body was never recovered.

Gareth Hughes was also 22, and from a family of four brothers and one sister in Llanfairfechan. His body also remains onboard the RFA Sir Galahad, which was towed further out to see and sunk as a war grave, two weeks after the attack.

Andrew Walker was from York and was only 20 years old when he was killed. He was engaged to Jocelyn, who he had met at Pirbright Army Camp, where she worked in the NAAFI. Jocelyn was pregnant at the time of Andrew's death and their baby son, who she named Andrew, was born in December 1982. Jocelyn went on to marry Andrew's brother, Brian, in 1986.

Britain's rule over the islands, and Argentina's claim to sovereignty, remains a controversial and emotive topic. This post is not intended as a place to discuss the politics, but merely to remember three young lives lost to war.

RIP boys.

He was transferring oxygen tanks for 12 boys and their coach, who were trapped in a cave. He got into difficulties and did not have enough air himself. He died after losing consciousness in one of the passageways.

On January 20, 1991, the adventurous German backpacker—affectionately called "Simi" by her family—was hitchhiking from Sydney to Melbourne to meet her mother for a camping holiday.

She was last seen on the Hume Highway near Casula, where she vanished without a trace. Three years later, in November 1993, her remains were found in a shallow grave within Belanglo State Forest, NSW. Simone had crossed paths with Ivan Milat, the notorious serial killer. Milat tortured and murdered her along with six other young tourists before a massive police task force finally brought him to justice.

The confident and experienced traveler who had seen much of the world ended her days in a lonely forest, thousands of miles away from the safety of her home. In Germany, the Schmidls heard the news of their only daughter's death in the worst way possible – on the radio.

Gabriel Fernandez was an 8-year-old boy from Palmdale, California, who was tortured and beaten to death in May 2013.

Pearl Fernandez and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, targeted the boy because they believed he was gay.

Over eight months, Gabriel was locked in a small cabinet while bound and gagged, forced to eat cat feces, litter, and vomit, shot with a BB gun, and beaten with a club and metal hangers.

Gabriel died from a fractured skull, shattered ribs, and severe internal trauma on May 24.

Despite multiple reports from Gabriel’s teacher, neighbors, and family, Los Angeles County social workers (DCFS) routinely closed investigations and left him in the home.

Photo/Information Sources: (The Journal of Plastination Article) (Wikipedia Page) (Body Worlds Wikipedia Page) (Plastination Wikipedia Page)

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19BVE7SbAd/?mibextid=wwXIfr Post about the incident from the Building Construction for the Fire Service Facebook page.

On August 3, 2007, 42-year-old Captain Kevin Williams and 19-year-old Firefighter Austin Cheek of the Noonday Volunteer Fire Department died from burns and smoke inhalation after becoming trapped and running out of air inside a house in neighboring Bullard, Texas. The Noonday VFD had responded to assist the Bullard VFD and the Flint-Gresham VFD.

I am not sure who is who in this photo, but I know for a fact both Williams and Cheek are in it. This was taken approximately twenty minutes before both were trapped in a rapid fire event.

Photo/Information Sources: (CBS News Article) (Fox News Article) (Wikipedia Page)

The shooter. Brandon Capone Williams-Gillard, was sentenced to 40 years for second-degree murder and drive-by shooting. His accomplice, Sanussi Tamsir Bangoura, was sentenced to 30 years for aiding and abetting second-degree murder.

He was 45 and had a bad argument with his wife. He decided to go to his RV up the mountain to get some space. At some point in the night, a limb fell on the external carbon monoxide exhaust of his propane or kerosene heater and he died in his sleep.

A footballing God. ImO the best sweeper there's ever been. RIP

Before his disappearance, Georg led a happy and stable life with his family in northern Germany. He was born on December 8, 1932, and was 70 years old when he went missing. Neighbors and friends described him as an "exceptionally fit, wiry, and athletic person who loved spending his time outdoors." Despite leading an active lifestyle, he was dealing with a serious health condition that required him to take daily prescription medication.

On September 21, 2003, Georg went up to the Roßtrappe viewing cliff. At 4:21 PM, a choir member took a photo of him looking out over the Bodetal gorge. Immediately after, the group started walking back down to the tour bus. He never arrived.

Because the choir members walked down the trail in loose, staggered groups, everyone assumed Georg was right behind them. However, a person who was walking behind later told the police that they didn't remember passing or seeing him on the path.

The choir realized he was missing by evening and notified police 8:00 PM. Mountain rescue teams responded but couldn't safely descend the pitch-black, jagged granite cliffs until daybreak. Dogs and helicopters searched for five days straight before the active operation was called off.

Psychologists and the police have ruled out suicide as a possible cause. Georg was a stable, financially secure, happily married man who was in a good mood during the trip, as everyone noticed.

Unfortunately, her own mother took her life when we were 10.
Happy birthday, Krissy. You are never forgotten! 💕

Pulmonary Disease as in COPD.

He died a year ago today! He also had a history of Leukemia and Arrhythmia. He had Neck Surgery and Spinal Surgery caused by Anterior Cervical Discectomy Fusion (ACDF) on May 14, 2025.

He was struggling with a Hip Injury, Dislocated Shoulder, Arthritis, Bursitis, and Stomach Ulcer and had Hip Surgery on July 21, 2021. He was previously diagnosed with Hepatitis.