Falklands Conflict 1982 - Voices of the Falklands War

On 2 April 1982, Argentina invaded the Falklands Islands, a British sovereign state. Three days after the Argentine invasion, a naval task force was dispatched to reclaim the Falkland Islands. 127 British ships, including merchant ships, and even repurposed cruise liners like the iconic QE2, and 70 aircraft headed south. The Armada transported around 9,000 personnel of all three Armed Forces services and 5,000 tonnes of equipment. The task was to engage the Argentine navy and air force at sea and in the sky and provide cover as troops landed and advanced for the capital. The Falklands would be the last major naval conflict of the 20th century, and a war that proved the might of the Royal Navy Sea Harrier aircraft. On 21 May 1982, the land invasion to reclaim the Falkland Islands began, 4,000 British troops landed unopposed at San Carlos and Ajax Bay in East Falkland. A series of engagements against a numerically superior, well dug-in but ill-trained and largely conscripted Argentinian Army followed, as the Task Force made their advance towards the islands’ capital Stanley. In this episode of our Voices of the Falklands series, British Armed Forces personnel who “headed down south” in 1982 to retake the islands, recall the scenes of war. Describing what it was like to fight on land, at sea, and in the air. Featuring interviews conducted in 2022, Falklands veterans remember the conflict 40 years on. The story and impact of the Falklands Conflict will be explored through a digital programme, including a series of short films featuring interviews with members of the British Task Force who were deployed to the Falklands Islands in 1982, the memories of their family and loved ones, and the stories of those who were tasked with helping the islands’ community rebuild in the aftermath of war. To read Mark Trainor’s story from the Falklands in full: https://www.ssafa.org.uk/support-us/our-national-campaigns/falklands-40/falklands-40-mark-trainor To read Paul Moore’s story from the Falklands in full: https://www.ssafa.org.uk/support-us/our-national-campaigns/falklands-40/falklands-40-paul-moore To read Rupert van der Horst’s story from the Falklands in full: https://www.ssafa.org.uk/support-us/our-national-campaigns/falklands-40/falklands-40-rupert-van-der-horst To read Sharkey Ward’s memories of the Falklands: https://www.ssafa.org.uk/support-us/our-national-campaigns/falklands-40/falklands-40-sharkey-ward If you are a Falklands veteran, or a Task Force family and need some support please contact SSAFA’s Forcesline (0800 260 6767) for a chat. Forcesline is our confidential helpline that provides support for serving (regular and reserves) ex-Forces and their families: https://www.ssafa.org.uk/get-help/forcesline

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