Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Keith Paul Mills,

DSC DSC may refer to: Academia * Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) * District Selection Committee, an entrance exam in India * Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine Educational institutions * Dalton State Col ...

(born June 1959) is a British

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

officer who commanded the defence of

South Georgia South Georgia ( es, Isla San Pedro) is an island in the South Atlantic Ocean that is part of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It lies around east of the Falkland Islands. Stretching in the east� ...

against the 1982 Argentine invasion.

Military service

Falklands War

Early on 3 April 1982, Mills received a radio message from HMS ''Endurance'' relaying instructions from London that he should make only a token resistance to any Argentine violation of British territory. He allegedly replied "sod that, I'll make their eyes water", a remark that became famous. Mills confirmed in subsequent interviews, that he in fact had never said this. During the two-hour

Battle of Grytviken The invasion of South Georgia, also known as the Battle of Grytviken or Operation Georgias, took place on 3 April 1982, when Argentine Navy forces seized control of the east coast of South Georgia Island, South Georgia after overpowering a smal ...

on 3 April 1982, Lieutenant Mills' detachment of 22 Royal Marines inflicted damage on the Argentine corvette ARA ''Guerrico'', hitting her with an 84mm anti-tank rocket and many rounds of small arms fire, and shot down a Puma

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

, killing two Argentine Marines and one sailor, while sustaining one wounded on the British side. The losses suffered at Grytviken prevented Argentina from occupying the rest of the island, with 15 Britons remaining outside Argentine control on several locations from Bird Island and

Schlieper Bay Schlieper Bay is a bay 1 mile (1.6 km) wide, entered between Romerof Head and Weddell Point along the south coast of South Georgia. It is separated from Church Bay by the Scree Gap. Schlieper Bay was named between 1905 and 1912 after t ...

in the northwest to St. Andrews Bay to the southeast.

Later career

Lieutenant Mills and his Marines were treated as heroes in Britain, and he was awarded a

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

for the defence of South Georgia. He was promoted from acting to substantive

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

on 1 September 1982. Mills remained in the Royal Marines after the war, being promoted to captain in 1989 and retiring in 1996.

Retirement

Since retirement Mills has run care homes in the

South West of England South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Cities an ...

. In 2012 he was involved in a car crash that killed Richard Sawbridge, a local rugby coach. After a trial at

Exeter Crown Court The Exeter Law Courts is a Crown Court venue, which deals with criminal cases, as well as a County Court venue, which deals with civil cases, in Southernhay Gardens, Exeter, England. History Until the early 21st century all criminal and civi ...

, Mills was cleared of

causing death by dangerous driving Causing death by dangerous driving is a statutory offence in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is an aggravated form of dangerous driving. It is currently created by section 1 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (as substituted by the ...

. His contribution as British commander at the

is commemorated in

Mills Peak Mills Peak () is a sharp peak in the Deep Freeze Range of Victoria Land, Antarctica. It rises to along the west side of Campbell Glacier between Mount Queensland and the terminus of Bates Glacier. Mills Peak was mapped by the United States Geolo ...

which is named in his honour.

References

* Mayorga, Horacio y Errecaborge, Jorge "No vencidos", Ed. Planeta {{DEFAULTSORT:Mills, Keith 1959 births British prisoners of war Falklands War in South Georgia Living people Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Marines officers Royal Navy personnel of the Falklands War