Thirtieth anniversary of the start of the Falklands War
The Falklands - Healing the Wounds is one of two documentaries on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Cymru Wales to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the start of the Falklands War on 2 April 1982.
They capture the personal and emotional impact of the conflict on the lives of Welsh soldiers who fought in the war.
Thirty years ago Argentine troops invaded the Falkland Islands, a remote UK colony in the South Atlantic. It was an action that led to a brief but bitter war.
Argentina had claimed sovereignty over the islands for many years, and the ruling military junta did not think that Britain would attempt to regain the islands that lay 8,000 miles away.
Margaret Thatcher, the prime minister at the time, considered the 1,800 Falklanders living on the faraway islands to be "of British tradition and stock", and ordered the sending of warships and hastily refitted merchant ships to the Falkland Islands.
A task force of of 28,000 British troops were deployed. It reached the Falklands in early May.
The war lasted 74 days, during which time 255 British servicemen lost their lives. 649 Argentinians also died, as well as three Falkland Islanders.
The Welsh Guards sustained heavy losses in the conflict, and it was one single incident heavily involved the Regiment that accounted for nearly one fifth of all British Army fatalities during the war.
On 8 June at Fitzroy, to the southwest of Port Stanley, an Argentinian jet bombed the Sir Galahad and Sir Tristram. The troop ships were moored and carrying equipment and the Welsh Guards, who were ready to go ashore and join the land war.
The attack left 48 men dead, 32 of whom were Welsh Guards. Eleven other Army personnel and five crewmen from Sir Galahad herself also died.
The bombing of the two ships happened just six days before the Argentine surrender.
In Britain, people who had seen men from the Welsh Guards departing on the luxury cruise liner the QE2, which had been requisitioned for service to carry troops to the South Atlantic, now saw pictures of two stricken ships, and desperate attempts to rescue troops from the burning vessels by helicopter and by boat.
From the shore Brian Hanrahan, the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Falklands War correspondent, described the "constant crackle of ammunition and bigger explosions throughout Sir Galahad and Sir Tristram".
The bombing also left dozens of men horrifically burnt and maimed, included in the casualties was Welsh Guard, Simon Weston who suffered 46% burns. He was the subject of several documentaries and his struggle to overcome his injuries, including over 70 major operations or surgical procedures, is well documented.
He is now a well-known personality and commentator on the radio and television, as well as the patron of patron of a number of charities that support people living with disfigurement.
Simon Weston recalled the experiences that changed his life, including the attack on the Sir Galahad which left him fighting for life on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Wales documentary broadcast yesterday. If you missed the programme you can listen again here on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ iPlayer.
The war has left a lasting impact on the lives of the soldiers who fought in the Falklands.
In this clip from Timewatch: Remember The Galahad (2007), Andy Jones, secretary of the South Atlantic Medal Association in Wales, was just a 19-year-old Welsh Guardsman when he fought in the Falklands. He explains his sense of indebtedness that he and others felt for their fallen comrades.
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Falklands: Healing The Wounds can be seen on Tuesday 3 April at 10.35pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ One Wales.
´óÏó´«Ã½ News has a timeline of the key dates of the Falklands War. Click here to view the video timeline.
Comment number 1.
At 2nd Apr 2012, Sensible from bristol wrote:Argentina's claim on the Flaklands is partly based on their proximity to the Islands. The Argentinian Prime Minister said the Islands are just a few kilometers from her country, to substantiate their claim to the territory. Germany is in fact closer to England than Argentina is the Falklands. Despite past hostilities between England and Germany, neither ever had the audacity to lay claim on each other's territory by virtue of 'proximity'.
The Islanders have a right to their own self-determination and we should continue to support their soveriengty
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Comment number 2.
At 2nd Apr 2012, Sensible from bristol wrote:Argentina's claim on the Falkland’s is partly based on their proximity to the Islands. The Argentinian Prime Minister said the Islands are just a few kilometres from her country, to substantiate their claim to the territory. Germany is in fact closer to England than Argentina is the Falklands. Despite past hostilities between England and Germany, neither ever had the audacity to lay claim on each other's territory by virtue of 'proximity'.
The Islanders have a right to their own self-determination and we should continue to support their sovereignty.
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Comment number 3.
At 6th Apr 2012, Davy King wrote:FRANTIC ANTICS IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC
Of yore some hearts were in the Highlands
now ours are in the Falkland Islands
from Britain to those blessed isles
it’s more or less 8000 miles
yet by rights we claim they’re ours
game to the last like the super powers
when diplomatic efforts fail
the senior service must set sail
we mean to prove we can be meaner
than the macho men of Argentina
meet force with force or we’ll look weak
only sissies turn the other cheek
if you ask your average punter
he’ll say confront the jumped-up Junta
send a fleet with Union Jack
to seize the damned Malvinas back
the bulldog straining at its chain
chases an Empire once again
this show of strength for your enjoyment
made better news than unemployment
neutral penguins in that stretch of water
took a dim view of the slaughter
patriots partial to a fight
proudly praised the stirring sight
muchos gauchos mocked ‘El Gringo’
but look who won the war by Jingo!
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