Remembering the Falklands 25 years on
17 May 07
Veterans from both sides of the Falklands Conflict have been meeting in London to mark the opening of an interactive exhibition which explores the actions of those involved in the historic events of 1982.
Baroness Thatcher meets Lieutenant Colonel Ewen Southby-Tailyour, commander of the Task Force Landing Craft Squadron during the Falklands War, at the opening of The Falklands 25th Anniversary Exhibition at Imperial War Museum London
[Picture: Imperial War Museum]
The veterans gathered at the Imperial War Museum in London on Monday 15 May 2007, a day ahead of the official launch of The Falklands, an interactive exhibition which focuses on those involved in the actual conflict.
Those attending the launch included Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter Squire, who commanded No 1 (F) Squadron Royal Air Force; Admiral Sir Alan West, Captain of the British frigate HMS Ardent; Major-General Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando Brigade in the initial landings and subsequent land fighting; Commander Diego Garcia Quiroga, an Officer in an Argentinian Navy and Sergeant Bill Belcher, who was part of the two-man crew of a Scout helicopter shot down on their way to pick up the seriously wounded Commanding Officer of 2 Para, Lieutenant-Colonel ‘H�?Jones;
Also at the opening were Lieutenant Colonel Ewen Southby-Tailyour, of 3 Commando Brigade; Peter Holdgate, the Commando Forces Photographer, whose picture of a marine with a Union Flag on his pack ‘yomping�?towards Stanley became the iconic image of the war; Royal Navy Surgeon Commander Rick Jolly, who established and ran the British Field Hospital at Ajax Bay that treated both British and Argentinian casualties, for which he was uniquely decorated by both the British and Argentinian governments and Naval Nursing Sister Nicci Pugh, who worked aboard HM Hospital Ship Uganda as a member of Queen Alexandra’s Royal Naval Nursing Service.
Falkland Islander Tim Miller, who was treated onboard Uganda for injuries he received during an air attack at Dunnose Head, West Falkland also attended.
Falklands War veterans attend the opening of The Falklands 25th Anniversary Exhibition at Imperial War Museum London
[Picture: Imperial War Museum]
All those who attended the launch had the chance to compare their own personal accounts from the conflict while also looking at some of the exhibits on display. From service personnel to Falkland Islanders, the exhibition includes material on display for the first time.
It tells the story of the war through unique first-hand accounts and personal memorabilia of those involved, including some of the veterans who attended the launch.
The exhibition was officially opened to the public on Tuesday 15 May 2007 by Baroness Thatcher, who oversaw the conflict as Prime Minister. The exhibition explores the people involved in what is the most recent invasion of a British territory since the Second World War.
Exhibits include the battered joystick from Sgt Belcher's Scout helicopter along with Surgeon Commander Rick Jolly's diary and medals are included in the many artefacts from the war to be found in the museum.
Audio clips from the exhibition are available under
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Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter Squire, Admiral Sir Alan West and Major-General Julian Thompson at the launch of The Falklands 25th Anniversary Exhibition at Imperial War Museum London
[Picture: Imperial War Museum]
The clips include testimonies from Reverend David Cooper, Chaplain, 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment who, on 30 May 1982, conducted the burial service of the 18 British servicemen who died during the battle for Goose Green, Soldado (Private) Domingo Morel, who was on Mount Longdon, where he had been deployed since 17 April 1982 and Robert Fox, then a BBC Radio reporter who initially accompanied 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment during the Falklands campaign.