Eileen Vidal

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, winning 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 April 2nd. On April 26th she reported via short wave radio to the HMS Endurance, 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 shops and troops in Stanley, as well as about the aircraft and helicopters. Her message to the 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 Faklands. She was awarded British Empire Medal for her service during the war.