The wife of a Paratrooper killed in the Falklands War has retraced his final steps on a trek to raise money for combat veterans. 

Jay Hyrons, from Leyton, completed two separate hikes on the islands, totalling more than 30 miles in honour of her husband Lance Corporal Gary Bingley, who died during the Battle of Goose Green.

Mr Bingley was posthumously awarded the Military Medal for his actions during the battle in May 1982, when he led his section to take enemy positions while fatally wounded.

Born in Tottenham, he had served with The Second Battalion, Parachute Regiment for two years in Northern Ireland before his deployment to the Falklands and was just 24 when he died.

However, widow Jay, now 60, made the decision late last year to visit finally visit the islands, more than 35 years after the war ended.

She said: “I had never thought of going to the Falklands, I saw no reason to go, but it turned out to be a healing journey, I had been stuck in the grieving process.

“Before I left, I did not know if I was going to be able to do it – I would literally be walking the steps Gary walked to his death.

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

Lance Corporal Gary Bingley was awarded the Military Medal for his bravery

Joined by friend Paul Faria, a Falkland Islander who helped retrace routes marched by Paratroopers during the War, she completed the two hikes within the space of a week, reaching Goose Green.

She also met islanders who were kept prisoner in the settlement’s community hall by Argentine forces for more than a month before British troops recaptured the area.

“When we got to Goose Green, we stopped off at the memorial. It was quite difficult, I was very emotional not just for Gary, but for all the guys who died there”, Jay said.

“But, I met a woman who had been imprisoned in the hall and she said they had prayed for the British soldiers to come and rescue them.

“It put into perspective what they did, knowing that Gary had helped to free these people and the islands in general.”

The treks raised more than £2,000, for the Falklands Veterans Foundation and Combat Stress, a charity helping former servicemen and women deal with mental health issues.

  • For more information, visit: justgiving.com/fundraising/jay-hyrons3