A Royal Marines Commando and the comrade whose life he helped save during the Falklands War have been reunited 40 years on.
But Chris White at first thought he had failed Kevin Woodford, who was seriously injured in a strike on the Sir Galahad in 1982.
Kevin described the aftermath of the attack, saying: “I was on my back and the area was in flames. I realised my leg had been blown off.”
Chris found Kevin but, choking on smoke, could not drag him to safety.
Chris explained: “He’s a big bloke and when you’ve got no oxygen in your lungs... I was just passing out all the time.”
Instead, Chris got out and told medics about Kevin. Kevin was rescued but Chris, evacuated to a hospital boat, was mired in despair.
Thinking he had failed Kevin, he took a pistol and sneaked off.
He said: “I wanted to take my own life. There was no excuse I could possibly think of.”
Luckily, he had been spotted taking the weapon and was disarmed.
When he was taken to see Kevin, both burst into tears.
Meeting for a BBC documentary about the war Chris, now 65, apologised to Kevin.
Kevin, 62, said he had nothing to be sorry for.
They are among 10 men telling their stories in Our Falklands War: A Frontline Story.
Executive producer Zac Beattie said of the veterans: “Many of them would do it all again if the clock was turned back.”
*Our Falklands War: A Frontline Story, BBC2, Sunday, 9pm.
