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Simon Weston (born 8 August 1961) is a Welsh people veteran of the British Army who is known for his charity work and recovery from severe burn injuries suffered during the Falklands War.
He joined the Welsh Guards in 1978 at the age of 16 at the insistence of his mother, after he "got into bother". He served in Berlin, Northern Ireland and Kenya before being deployed to the Falkland Islands.
Weston survived with 46% burns, following which his face was barely recognisable. He said:
He has written best-selling autobiographies as well as a series of novels. In 2003 he announced that he had been in talks over plans to make a film about his life.
Weston became patron of a number of charities that support people living with disfigurements. He is the Lead Ambassador for medical research charity, The Scar Free Foundation, which funds research into scar free healing. He also set up a national youth charity, Weston Spirit, in 1988 with Paul Oginsky and Ben Harrison, shortly after moving to Liverpool. However, in 2008, the charity suffered from financial difficulties and had to be shut down.
The Unknown Warrior's crest unveiling
It is stated that Weston is a critic of the Iraq War, believing Tony Blair's arguments for the invasion were invalid. In February 2003, in the run-up to the war, he spoke out about "politicians with so many different agendas, spin and bluff and throwing smoke in the air and I have to say even lies... so often that we are not sure what we are actually listening to now".
Weston also spoke to the ethical committee at London's Royal Free Hospital in 2006 to support the case for authorising full face transplants, even though he had previously been against the idea.
In 2008, Weston criticised the then French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, for failing to attend a war ceremony. Weston said "He should have got it right... We in Wales have lost and sacrificed as much as anybody for different causes." Showing his support for the British monarchy, Weston added, "Not for a second would Charles have disrespected the event. He has always acted with a great deal of reverence for the occasion.""A snub or simply a mistake? Sarkozy 'disrespects' Wales. French president criticised for omission during war ceremony", The Western Mail. 13 November 2008. p. 3.
In February 2012 Weston was caught up in an angry exchange with actor Sean Penn, who said it was improper for Prince William to be deployed to the Falklands. Weston was reported as saying, "Sean Penn does not know what he is talking about and, frankly, he should shut up. His Penn's views are irrelevant and it only serves to fuel the fire of the Argentinians and get them more pumped up."
In 2012, Weston decided to stand for the post of elected Police and Crime Commissioner for the South Wales Police. As part of the nomination process, he had to disclose the police caution he had received as a child and whether this caution disbarred him from standing became a matter of public debate. He withdrew from the process, citing this controversy and the perceived politicisation of the post (some sources hold that a caution for a juvenile should not be grounds for disqualification). During a BBC radio interview on the subject of the disclosure of cautions to juveniles, Weston pointed out that he has never sought to hide the caution.
Weston has met and become friends with First Lieutenant Carlos Cachon, the Argentine pilot who dropped the bomb which caused his injuries. He was criticised for this by families of those who fought in the Falklands War, which he dismissed by saying "I don't have a problem with other people criticising me for things I do, as long as people understand why I did them. Then I don't have a problem to walk away and say 'you're entitled to your opinions'."Western Mail. "Weston Leads Falklands Return". 3 April 2002, p. 2.
His courage and charity work have been recognised and honoured on a number of occasions. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1992 Birthday Honours and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for charitable services. In 2002 he was awarded the Freedom of the City of Liverpool. In 2004, he was named one of the top 100 Welsh heroes. In 2005 he was made an Honorary Fellow of Cardiff University. In 2006 Weston and dual code (Rugby league and Rugby union) international David Watkins were installed as patrons of the Wales Rugby League, in a ceremony held in the Welsh Assembly.
In 2008 he received an Honorary Doctorate from Heriot-Watt University.
In September 2009 he agreed to be President Elect of the Welsh Scout Council, and was formally introduced at the council's annual general meeting at Llandrindod Wells on 31 October.
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