Falklands 40: Portsmouth marks 40 years since 'miracle' of task force set sail to retake islands

Veterans have today been speaking out about their horrors as Portsmouth marks a major milestone in its critical role in the war.

Forty years ago today, a huge naval task force and thousands of military personnel set sail from the city to make the 8,000-mile trip to liberate the Falkland Islands from Argentine invaders.

It would be a battle that they would ultimately win, 74 days after the islands were invaded.

But it would be one that would claim the lives of 255 British heroes and leave scores more either horrifically injured or suffering from painful hidden traumas that would plague their lives for decades to come.

Chief Petty Officer Alan ‘Sharkey’ Ward was among those left with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from his time at war.

Then a 21-year-old marine engineering mechanic, Alan was serving in survey ship HMS Herald – which had been converted into a hospital ship for the Falklands War.

The vessel and its crew helped to treat mutilated soldiers, who had been horrifically burned during the bombing of RFA Sir Galahad.

‘The smell of burning skin stays with you for the rest of your life,' said Alan, 60, of Copnor. ‘I’ll never forget the screams first thing in the morning. It was called the 9am screams because they didn't have morphine and things like that to treat the wounded. It was awful

‘You get the best training in the world in the navy… but it doesn’t prepare you for the after-effects of war.’

Retired Sergeant Mark Gibbs, formerly of West Leigh, was part of the team of 60 Royal Marines who were stationed in Stanley when the Argentines invaded on April 2.

He was captured and forced to surrender and feared the Argentines would execute him on the spot in an experience that left him with PTSD.

Speaking of the horrors of the war, Mark – now aged 62 – told The News: ‘It’s always there in the background. It never goes away.’

SEE ALSO: Navy veteran relives the horrors and excitement of the Falklands War

Portsmouth played a Herculean role in getting the enormous task force of 39 ships – including Falklands flagship, aircraft carrier HMS Hermes – ready.

Thousands of dockyard workers were mobilised in order to achieve the impossible, despite having been told hours before that they were all going to be made redundant amid swingeing defence cuts.

Dean Kimber, of Milton, was a 17-year-old apprentice fitter working on diesel submarines at the dockyard at the time.

Now head of asset management at Portsmouth Naval Base with BAE Systems, he said the experiences he had in 1982 will stick with him for life.

‘Without a thought, people marched back up the brow of a ship and got on with what the nation needed,’ he said. ‘There were some guys who never went home. They worked on it for days on end.

‘That showed something about the mentality and attitude of the people of Portsmouth. Not everyone would have done that.’

Portsmouth City Council leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson hailed the achievement 40 years ago as ‘a miracle’ that ultimately led to victory in the Falklands.

He added: ‘A lot of people who worked so hard had just been made redundant and yet they worked miracles. They got the task force to sea and achieved work that should have taken weeks in days.

‘Without that there is no way that the task force could have set out. There’s no way that the message to say “you cannot invade other people’s countries and get away with it” could have got out there without them.’

:: The News has today released a special 40-page supplement commemorating the Falklands War. To order a copy, click here.

Looking for the latest Royal Navy updates from Portsmouth? Join our new Royal Navy news Facebook group to keep up to date.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

You can subscribe here for unlimited access to our online coverage, including Pompey, with 70 per cent fewer adverts for less than 20p a day.