Simon Weston CBE (born 8 August 1961) is a Welsh veteran of the British Army who is known for his charity work and recovery from severe burn injuries suffered during the Falklands War.

Simon lived in Singapore and at RAF Hospital Nocton Hall in Lincolnshire before returning to Nelson at the age of around six or seven.

[4] On 8 June 1982, Weston was embarked with other members of his regiment in RFA Sir Galahad in Port Pleasant near Fitzroy, just off the Falkland Islands.

Sir Galahad was bombed and set on fire by Argentine Skyhawk fighters during the Bluff Cove Air Attacks.

The men of his regiment refused to mollycoddle him (especially Glen White, who ran the Welsh Guards rugby side), which forced him to "face up to the unavoidable and to be positive about everything including especially my future".

He has been interviewed on many occasions for television news programmes and documentaries recounting his experiences, including appearances on 14 June 2007, the 25th anniversary of the Falklands War ending.

[12] He also set up a national youth charity, Weston Spirit, in 1988 with Paul Oginsky and Ben Harrison, shortly after moving to Liverpool.

[18] He has spoken out against defence budget cuts and British troops allegedly being supplied with inadequate equipment,[19] and about the lack of support, health care and adequate compensation for veterans.

[citation needed] It is stated that Weston is a critic of the Iraq War, believing Tony Blair's arguments for the invasion were invalid.

[20] 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".

[22] Weston also spoke to the ethical committee at London's Royal Free Hospital in 2006 to support the case for authorising full face transplants,[23] even though he had previously been against the idea.

"[25] 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.

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).

[27] Weston has met and become friends with First Lieutenant Carlos Cachon, the Argentine pilot who dropped the bomb which caused his injuries.