03/11/2026
Why we wear the Poppy with pride.
Barry “Baz” Grayling: Just 19 Years Old, He Ran Into Machine-Gun Fire to Save His Comrades at Goose Green
At just 19 years old, Barry James “Baz” Grayling faced a moment that would stay with him for the rest of his life. With bullets tearing across the ground at Goose Green, he and his closest friend made a decision that would save others, but cost one of them his life.
Born in January 1963, Barry grew up in Felixstowe, Suffolk. In May 1979, while still a teenager, he joined the British Army and earned his place in the 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment (2 Para). He was young, determined, and had barely begun his adult life when the Falklands War changed everything.
Following Argentina’s invasion of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, Barry and his fellow paratroopers were sent south aboard the MV Norland. What lay ahead was far removed from the training grounds they knew. They were heading into a war that would test their courage, their endurance, and the strength of the bonds between them.
On 27–28 May 1982, 2 Para advanced towards Goose Green. Near Coronation Point, two Argentine machine-gun positions opened fire, pinning British soldiers down in exposed ground. The advance was in danger of grinding to a halt.
Barry was serving with 11 Platoon, D Company, alongside his close friend, Lance-Corporal Gary “Gaz” Bingley.
Rather than remain under cover, the two young paratroopers moved forward to provide suppressive fire. They came within just ten metres of a five-man Argentine machine-gun position. It was an extraordinarily dangerous distance, with little protection and almost no room for hesitation.
They attacked.
Barry was struck by a round that hit his water bottle, causing it to burst against his hip. Injured and under intense fire, he refused to stop fighting. Beside him, Gary continued the assault. Together, they silenced the machine-gun position and helped their comrades move forward.
But the final moments brought an unbearable loss.
The last rounds fired by the Argentine gunner struck Gary Bingley in the head. He was killed instantly.
Barry had survived, but his closest friend had fallen beside him. No medal could ever change that, and no military citation could fully express the cost of those few moments.
Their courage helped the company regain its advance. The wider Battle of Goose Green continued for fourteen hours before the Argentine garrison surrendered. It became the first major British land victory of the Falklands campaign.
For their extraordinary gallantry, both men were awarded the Military Medal. Gary received his posthumously. Barry was presented with his medal at Buckingham Palace on 25 November 1982, before returning to a hero’s welcome in his hometown of Felixstowe.
Yet Barry never spoke of war as something glamorous. He remembered the exhaustion, the friends who never came home, and the overwhelming relief of being able to return to ordinary life.
He continued serving in the Army until January 1990, completing more than ten years with the Colours. Later, he moved to the United States, married his wife Sheri, and spent two decades at Pasco High School in Florida, coaching and mentoring young people.
There is something profoundly moving about the life he went on to build. The young man who once ran towards enemy fire would spend so many later years helping others find their strength and confidence.
His story is not defined by one battlefield, one medal, or one act of bravery. It is also a story of friendship, loss, resilience, and a life devoted to helping others.
And somewhere within that story, the memory of Gary “Gaz” Bingley remains inseparable from his own.
One was able to come home. The other never did. But their courage at Goose Green became part of the same story, forever bound by the friendship they shared and the sacrifice made that night.
Lest We Forget.
Corporal Barry James “Baz” Grayling, M.M., and Lance-Corporal Gary “Gaz” Bingley, M.M. — two young paratroopers whose courage and friendship will never be forgotten.
