Falklands War Heroes

Falklands War Heroes
Author: Michael Ashcroft
Publisher: Biteback Publishing
Total Pages: 306
Release: 2021-11-09
Genre: History
ISBN: 1785907158

The Falklands War, which may prove to be the last 'colonial' war that Britain ever fights, took place in 1982. Fought 8,000 miles from home soil, it cost the lives of 255 British military personnel, with many more wounded, some seriously. The war also witnessed many acts of outstanding courage by the UK Armed Forces after a strong Task Force was sent to regain the islands from the Argentine invaders. Soldiers, sailors and airmen risked, and in some cases gave, their lives for the freedom of 1,820 islanders. Lord Ashcroft, who has been fascinated by bravery since he was a young boy, has amassed several medal collections over the past four decades, including the world's largest collection of Victoria Crosses, Britain and the Commonwealth's most prestigious gallantry award. Falklands War Heroes tells the stories behind his collection of valour and service medals awarded for the Falklands War. The collection, almost certainly the largest of its kind in the world, spans all the major events of the war. This book, which contains nearly forty individual write-ups, has been written to mark the fortieth anniversary of the war. It is Lord Ashcroft's attempt to champion the outstanding bravery of our Armed Forces during an undeclared war that was fought and won over ten weeks in the most challenging conditions.

The Falklands War

The Falklands War
Author: Ezequiel Mercau
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 269
Release: 2019-05-16
Genre: History
ISBN: 1108483291

Panoramic, transnational history of the Falklands War and its imperial dimensions, which explores how a minor squabble mushroomed into war.

Watching Men Burn

Watching Men Burn
Author: Tony McNally
Publisher: Monday
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2007-05-17
Genre: Falkland Islands War, 1982
ISBN: 9780955285455

On the 8th of June 1982, McNally sat in his Rapier missile battery watching helplessly as bombs rained down on the Sir Galahad troop ship and its crew of hundreds of soldiers, his system having failed. He left the army after the war and, even though he re-enlisted (volunteering for two tours of Northern Ireland), he was riddled by guilt and plagued by nightmares and flashbacks of that awful day. McNally later spearheaded a groundbreaking Post Traumatic Stress lawsuit against the government. 25 years on, Watching Men Burn is his story of the reality of warfare.

Soldier Heroes

Soldier Heroes
Author: Graham Dawson
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 366
Release: 2013-05-13
Genre: Art
ISBN: 1135089515

Soldier Heroes explores the imagining of masculinities within adventure stories. Drawing on literary theory, cultural materialism and Kleinian psychoanalysis, it analyses modern British adventure heroes as historical forms of masculinity originating in the era of nineteenth-century popular imperialism, traces their subsequent transformations and examines the way these identities are internalized and lived by men and boys.

Ordinary Heroes

Ordinary Heroes
Author: Christopher Hilton
Publisher: The History Press
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2011-11-30
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0752477765

In 1982, 8,000 miles from home, in a harsh environment and without the newest and most sophisticated equipment, the numerically inferior British Task Force defeated the Argentinian forces occupying the Falkland Islands and recaptured this far-flung outpost of what was once an empire. It was a much-needed triumph for Margaret Thatcher’s government and for Britain.Many books have been published on the Falklands War, some offering accounts from participants in it. But this is the first one only to include interviews with the ordinary seamen, marines, soldiers and airmen who achieved that victory, as well as those whose contribution is often overlooked – the merchant seaman who crewed ships taken up from trade, the NAAFI personnel who supplied the all-important treats that kept spirits up, the Hong Kong Chinese laundrymen who were aboard every warship.Published to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the conflict, this is the story of what ‘Britain’s last colonial war’ was really like.

Falklands Hero

Falklands Hero
Author: Jon Cooksey
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
Total Pages: 577
Release: 2012-04-19
Genre: History
ISBN: 1781598088

At the height of the bitter battle for Mount Longdon during the Falklands War , 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiments assault has stalled in the face of determined resistance. With his platoon held up by an Argentine machine gun, it falls to Sergeant Ian McKay to act. The machine gun has to be silenced to break the deadlock. Gathering a small group together, Ian McKay leads them in a headlong dash into the teeth of a withering fire. One by one they fall until only McKay is left, charging on alone towards the Argentine gun and a place in history. His was the final act of a man who lived, breathed and was shaped by the Parachute Regiment: an act which earned him a posthumous Victoria Cross. This is the story of Ian McKay: the last British hero of the Twentieth Century.

Down South

Down South
Author: Chris Parry
Publisher: Penguin UK
Total Pages: 386
Release: 2012-02-16
Genre: History
ISBN: 0241959632

Down South by Chris Parry - one man's astonishing diary of war in the Falklands 'A gripping account of heroism - and chaos - in the South Atlantic' Mail on Sunday 'Compelling, gripping. A vividly written, thought-provoking and engaging account' The Times In 1982 Lieutenant Chris Parry sailed aboard destroyer HMS Antrim to liberate the Argentine-occupied Falkland Islands. Parry and his crew, in their Wessex helicopter, were soon launched into action rescuing an SAS party stuck on a glacier in gales that had already downed two others. Soon after they single-handedly pursued and fatally wounded a submarine before taking part in terrifying but crucial drop landings under heavy fire. Down South is a hands on, day-by-day account of war fought in the most appalling conditions by men whose grit and fighting spirit overcame all obstacles. This important and extraordinary book of recent history will be enjoyed by readers of Antony Beevor and Max Hastings. 'Gripping. A graphic description of just how they pulled off a real-life Mission Impossible' Daily Express 'Excellent. A fascinating war diary' Daily Telegraph 'Vivid and insightful. Parry excels in revealing the day-to-day challenges of fighting a campaign in hostile surroundings' Financial Times 'A truly gripping historical account' Niall Ferguson 'A priceless contribution to military history. Riveting' Literary Review Chris Parry joined the Royal Navy after university and then became an Observer in the Fleet Air Arm in 1979. After the Falklands War he had a successful career in the navy, and on promotion to Rear Admiral in 2005 he became the Ministry of Defence's Director of Developments, Concepts and Doctrines. He was appointed a CBE in 2004. Now retired from the armed services, he heads a company which specializes in geo-strategic forecasting.

Our Boys

Our Boys
Author: Helen Parr
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2018
Genre: Falkland Islands War, 1982
ISBN: 9780241288948

WINNER OF THE LONGMAN-HISTORY TODAY BOOK PRIZE 2019 WINNER OF THE TEMPLER MEDAL BOOK PRIZE 2019 WINNER OF THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON MEDAL FOR MILITARY HISTORY 2019 LONGLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2019 'Brilliant. The best discussion of soldiers in combat, their motivation, behaviours and fears, that I have come across' Robert Fox, Evening Standard Our Boys brings to life the human experiences of the paratroopers who fought in the Falklands War, and examines the long aftermath of that conflict. It is a first in many ways - a history of the Parachute Regiment, a group with an elite and aggressive reputation; a study of close-quarters combat on the Falkland Islands; and an exploration of the many legacies of this short and symbolic war. Told unflinchingly through the experiences of people who lived through it, Our Boys shows how the Falklands conflict began to change Britain's relationship with its soldiers, and our attitudes to trauma and war itself. It is also the story of one particular soldier: the author's uncle, who was killed during the conflict, and whose fate has haunted both the author and his fellow paratroopers ever since. 'This is an extraordinary book. It is partly about the Falklands War itself and the terrible things that the Paras endured, and the terrible things that some of them did, but it is also about the white working class of the 1970s and why some men born into this class ended up marching across an island that most of them had never heard of. Thoughtful and sometimes heart-breaking' Richard Vinen, author of National Service

Amphibious Assault Falklands

Amphibious Assault Falklands
Author: Michael Clapp
Publisher: Grub Street Publishers
Total Pages: 233
Release: 2012-08-24
Genre: History
ISBN: 178159631X

A British Naval commander’s eyewitness account of the 1982 war in the South Atlantic. Since he was in charge of the amphibious operations in the Falklands War, it goes without saying that there is no one better qualified to tell the story of that aspect of the campaign than Commodore Michael Clapp. Here he describes, with considerable candor, some of the problems met in a Navy racing to war and finding it necessary to recreate a largely abandoned operational technique in a somewhat ad hoc fashion. During the time it took to “go south,” some sense of order was imposed and a not very well defined command structure evolved, this was not done without generating a certain amount of friction. He tells of why San Carlos Water was chosen for the assault and the subsequent inshore operations. Michael Clapp and his small staff made their stand and can claim a major role in the defeat of the Argentine Air and Land Forces.

A Very Strange Way to Go to War

A Very Strange Way to Go to War
Author: Andrew Vine
Publisher: Aurum Press
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2014
Genre: Falkland Islands War, 1982
ISBN: 9781781311844

Vast and brilliant white, P&O's flagship the SS Canberra was a final salute to a bygone era of opulence even as she embarked on her maiden voyage, For a decade she carried passengers between Britain and Australia, a 90-day voyage of pampering and decadence. But in March 1982, Britain went to war to defend the Falkland Islands and the SS Canberra found herself, surreally, requisitioned as a troop ship to carry the Marines and Paratroops into battle. Against all odds she surived, playing a vital role as a hospital ship, At the end of the war she arrived back in Southampton to a heroes welcome, where she became fondly known as the Great White Whale. This is the extraordinary and, as yet, untold story of how the crew of a luxury ocean liner: waiters, cooks, nurses and cleaners, found themselves suddenly thrust onto the front line. A Very Strange Way to Go to War is a candid and captivating story, drawing from first hand accounts and previously unpublished archives, of the heroic courage of ordinary British men and women in the face of great adversity, at the outpost of empire.