Falklands conflict saw naval reserves ready and on standby
Ron Smith suggested it might just have been for men who were on the reserve list. He says: ‘I’m not sure about the situation regards calling up civilians for the Falklands conflict, but I believe they were making contingency plans. I left the Royal Navy in April 1980 and was required to complete three years of Special Reserve. I was not required to do anything other than to be available if called. At the time of the conflict a formal letter was sent to my home address requiring me to keep them informed of my whereabouts on a daily basis. As I was working as a service engineer on RFA ships in Gibraltar (preparing them for a trip south) and not supposed to say on which ships or where, my wife informed the MoD, through my employer.
‘Within a few days I received official discharge from the RN reserve and heard nothing more from the MoD. This may not be strictly relevant to civilians but shows a direction of thought.’
Thanks Ron. So, something was in the air then.