Sergeant Ian McKay

Biography

Ian John McKay was born on May 7, 1953, in Wortley, Sheffield. He joined the Parachute Regiment and by 1982 had risen to the rank of sergeant, leading a section in B Company, 3 Para. He was 29 years old when the Task Force sailed south. A highly regarded NCO known for his composure and decisiveness, McKay was the kind of professional soldier upon whom the British Army's effectiveness in the Falklands depended. On the night of June 11–12, 1982, 3 Para attacked Argentine positions on Mount Longdon in the darkness. As B Company advanced along the rocky ridge, it was pinned down by sustained fire from a heavy machine-gun position in a well-built bunker. With casualties mounting and his platoon commander wounded, Sergeant McKay gathered a small group of men and led a charge directly at the bunker. He was killed as he reached it, but his action suppressed the position and allowed his company to continue its advance. He was 29 years old. McKay was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously — the second of two VCs awarded in the Falklands War, and the last VC awarded to a British soldier in the twentieth century.

Key Battles