Kelper telephone and radio operator
Eileen Vidal BEM (died October, 2003) was a kelper telephone and radio operator who maintained radio service and relayed military intelligence to the British Navy during the Falklands War, receiving the British Empire Medal for her service.
Service during the Falklands War.
Eileen Vidal was a middle-aged woman, single parent and the islands government's principal radio telephone operator, jotting down telegrams and patching callers into Port Stanley's telephone system. She established a trend of subversive radio transmissions on the morning of the Argentine invasion on 2 April. On 26 April she reported via short wave radio to , which was patrolling off the Falklands, the size of the Argentine reinforcements of the initial Argentine assault force, which were at least nine Argentine battalion-sized units, giving them as much information as possible about the number Argentine ships and troops in Stanley, as well as about the aircraft and helicopters. Her message to HMS "Endurance" may have been the first information to come from the Falklands after the invasion because the short wave transmitters operated by Cable and Wireless had failed and the British Government had no firm information from the islands. The 2nd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) was alerted and set sail to the Falklands. She was awarded the British Empire Medal for her service during the war.
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