THROUGH FIRE AND WATER
Friday 2nd April 1982 Argentina invaded
The British colony of the Falkland Islands,
The response was almost instantaneous
A huge fleet of British Warships were dispatched
Eight thousand miles to the South Atlantic,
The mission to liberate sovereign British citizens:
On the 21st may 1982
A day my brother could have been killed,
The pride of British naval power
Lost one of her own,
As
HMS Ardent Type 21 frigate
Slipped away quietly
To her shallow and watery grave.
SAN CARLOS WATER
(Bomb Alley)
The activity was ordered
With the usual Royal Naval calm,
Fleet transports being unloaded
With men, hardware and provisions
Forming the landing party.
On Sir Bedivere’s deck
Lounging Marines watched the proceedings
With silent indignation yet professional interest,
Manning the Oerlikon and 7.62mm machine guns
The ‘Bootnecks’ were to produce a wall of lead.
The reason was the A-4B Skyhawk
A Fast and maneuverable low flying bomber,
Capable of destroying a warship with ease,
And they were on their way.
They struck hard, flying low
Screaming in a silver streak down ‘Bomb Alley’
The Naval term for San Carlos water,
The Royal Marines on Sir Bedivere came to life.
The Oerlikons started their steady thumping salvo
A high powered thud, thud thud,
Alongside the rapid spitting fire of the GPMG’s.
Planes zigzagged to avoid detection by the guidance systems
And the Sea wolf missiles craned to attack.
The noise was deafening,
Ears numbed with the roar of battle
Yet in the middle of the savage fighting,
Helicopters, like busy flying ants delivered the stores
Too and fro,
Whilst hell raged around them.
HMS Argonaut and HMS Brilliant both flanked Bedivere
It was clear the enemy wanted to destroy the supplies,
As the bombs dropped close by,
Huge explosions followed,
Flame and smoke billowing all over the water
“I don’t think they like us”
A Marine was heard to say to nobody in particular.
The air split apart suddenly
As the Navy responded in a savage riposte,
Sea wolf missiles locked on to targets
Erupted in terrifying bursts, screaming from the decks,
With fiery tracers hurtling at breathtaking speed.
The hunters were now the hunted
And the Argentinian pilots weaved and banked,
In a desperate dance with the missiles
A huge fireball flaring just over the coastline,
Testament to the missiles accuracy.
All three ships were hurt,
HMS Brilliant suffering serious damage,
She limped like a wounded animal to shallower water
Whilst the ‘Bootnecks’ claimed the victory,
Though the mood changed when the news filtered
The ‘Ardent’ was gone, sunk, loss of one our own.
Other casualties were emerging, the force had been hurt
With sombre determination the liberation continued apace.
The rest is now consigned to history
14th June 1982 Argentina raised the white flag,
The Falkland Islands were again free
British subjects will always have the nation’s protection,
Wherever they are in the world.
“We knew what we had to do
And we did it,
Great Britain is Great again.”
Margaret Thatcher.
649 Argentinian dead
255 British dead
3 Islanders dead
(RIP)
“Through fire and water”
Motto of HMS Ardent.
Sergeant David John ‘Nobby’ Hall
42 Commando
Royal Marines.
(My eldest brother)
Final Quote is left for an unknown Royal Marine
When the Argentineans’ took over the Island
“Don’t make yourself too comfy mate…
We’ll be back!”
God Bless all who serve to protect our nation
Phil Hall June 2013
you tell everything in such a reality, i am drawn in like i can see and smell and hear every moment. i hold my breath each time i read a warriors story, my knight, thank you. XXX Kim
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