Mark Posted November 21, 2006 Share Posted November 21, 2006 Just been reading the news item regarding the Falklands conflict, I remember it well as I was told a couple of stories by my then brother in law who served in the Royal Navy down there, but was confuses me is this, The Argies invaded on the 2nd April and we had the main body of the task force including 2 carriers and their escorts etc. sail on the 5th April. Now from what I know it takes a long time to get a task force like that a long time to get ready and prepare for sea, let alone a battle 8000 miles away in the South Atlantic, surely the government must have known something was happening for the ships to be ready in such a short time. Am I missing something here or does anybody have any ideas about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmite!! Posted November 21, 2006 Share Posted November 21, 2006 Here you go Mark, complete timline.. http://www.falklands.info/history/82timeline.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted November 21, 2006 Author Share Posted November 21, 2006 OK so I missed something then, I was only young (ish) then :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted November 21, 2006 Share Posted November 21, 2006 A good friend got beaten by the clock in the SeaKing crash on the 19th :-( :-( :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewroberts.1953 Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 Hi I can remember things happening which today would be unthinkable. A convoy of vehicles with no index plates, filled with jerry can filled with fuel about 2 miles long on a main road doing 10 MPH! Watching a logistics ship being loaded, and seeing a 9 cubic metre tipper lorry up end it's cargo of mars bars on the dockside! being in a civil port and seeing containers being unloaded as the MOD had "borrowed" them! Seeing the worlds supply of tents (it looked like all the canvas in the world) being loaded into trucks "to go south"! Working 18 hours days plus, sleeping on the floor were you could. The list goes on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlienFTM Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 My lasting memory of that timeline is IIRC one morning in late February Parliament were debating the need to replace Polaris weapon systems with Trident. We lay in bed listening to a report on BFBS radio. I think it was Lord Carrington who banged his fist on the desk (metaphorically) and demanded to know how, without a credible nuclear capability, we could stop any tinpot dictator invading one of our dependencies. Looking at the timeline, it is clear he had the Falklands in mind. It is sad to think that today we couldn't mobilise such a task force and we would have to turn Buenos Aries into a slag-covered smoking hole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snapper Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 When the victorious Task Force returned home, I am sure that when the amazing logistical and maritime achievement was detailed the then Defence Secretary John Knott said "Yes, and we must make sure it never happens again"...and he didn't mean being sammied by banana republics. He and his mates set about scything through our armed forces. There is an old myth only Labour do it. No doubt next year they'll wheel out the political incompetents and arrogant peers who benefited most from the war to tell their stories again and again. We can count them all out and count them back in again. Yippee. Hopefully there will be some room for the people who won them their prizes, living and dead to be remembered. Well done to everyone who posts a Falklands story on here. Oh, and by the way.....THANKS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian001 Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 Great article, any plans for more reports on other conflicts the british forces have been involved in? Cheers Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 Hi Ian. Thank you for your words as I really appreciate the fact that there are of interest, I never know if people read them or not. Funny enough the news isn't always that easy to deal with but I think it is a very important element of the site. I am trying to make sure that I can bring something interesting to the news section everyday. You can find plenty of news on WW1 and WW2 but I think it is highly important that we cover our 'modern' conflicts but unfortunately these conflicts aren't so popular as the days of 'our finest hour'. I will make sure that the Falklands is kept within the news and I wanting to also cover Borneo, Aden, Suez and other 'small' wars as this is only right as this is part of history that suffers from a very low profile and it is only right that we reflect the fact that a lot of us have 'post war' vehicles. The problem that I have with news from Borneo, Aden and Suez as examples is that I have to ask and wait for permission to use the news. .........but I working on it. Many thanks. Jack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewroberts.1953 Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Hi If anyone knew it was going to happen, then it was kept a very good secret! We were ordered by a signal in clear, not to return to normal location but go direct to a certain RN base. This was on the day of the statement in parliment, and we were listening to it on the radio. All hell was let loose, with everything in the wrong places. People were in the wrong place and all out kit was somewhere else. I don't think it's letting the cat out of the bag now, as it's on the MOD website. But the task force sailed with nuclear weapons, such was the panic in getting anything "south"! None of the weapons were for use, but no-one had made arrangements to get them removed! So as I said, if anyone had fore warning then I wish it had filtered down! Jack, please record the fact that UK forces have been in action since before 1900 and of course still are. No other countries arm forces have been in such long term action. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enigma Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Hi Ian. Thank you for your words as I really appreciate the fact that there are of interest, I never know if people read them or not. Funny enough the news isn't always that easy to deal with but I think it is a very important element of the site. I am trying to make sure that I can bring something interesting to the news section everyday. You can find plenty of news on WW1 and WW2 but I think it is highly important that we cover our 'modern' conflicts but unfortunately these conflicts aren't so popular as the days of 'our finest hour'. I will make sure that the Falklands is kept within the news and I wanting to also cover Borneo, Aden, Suez and other 'small' wars as this is only right as this is part of history that suffers from a very low profile and it is only right that we reflect the fact that a lot of us have 'post war' vehicles. The problem that I have with news from Borneo, Aden and Suez as examples is that I have to ask and wait for permission to use the news. .........but I working on it. Many thanks. Jack. Don't forget Korea!! Is it in the UK as much "forgotten" as here in the Netherlands? We fought voluntarily as part of the US 2nd Div, Indian head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joris Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 And amongst the dutch soldiers fighting in Korea were former members of the dutch SS.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 No problems gents. I only used the above conflicts as examples otherwise the list would go on and on and on and.............. Passive lot, us British. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enigma Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 And amongst the dutch soldiers fighting in Korea were former members of the dutch SS.... they also fought in the Dutch Indies, they were welltrained... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian001 Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Jack, you opened a can of worms now, this could be never ending, it keeps the interest. I've just been trying to find out about my wifes grandfather in WW1, 22nd brigade RFA, it makes interesting reading, I didn't find out anything about the individual but the 22nd brigade RFA during WW1 was very interesting, My wifes grandfather was awarded the MM. Instead of writing up articles wouldn't it be better/easier to add links to articles already on the web? just a thought. Cheers Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Hi Ian. I wouldn't want to use links as then it just becomes another links page which some becomes boring. I would rather put the time in it takes to get it right and easy for people to print off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray109 (RIP) Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 MARK you might be right about knowing in advance, at the time we were on a state of alert ! http://www.kirkbytimes.co.uk/antiwaritems/falklands%20deception.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 I think the only words I could use to describe the content of that article would get this site shut-down!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snapper Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 Trying to remain as open minded as possible, I had a look at the link you refer to. Not a lot I can say here in the interests of good taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowtracdave Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 As a Snow Trac nut for some time I've been taking an interest in survivors . Along with Phil Chatfield we've been trying to track them all down . There is one story that around 60 were embarked on the Altantic Conveyor and obviously never reached land again . We understand that there were around 4-6 that did see action on the islands . Anyone have any thoughts or stories to tell on this subject ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray109 (RIP) Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 if anyone has any thoughts they would like to share regargding the link i posted they can always pm me ive spent the last 10 years composing a document about the mistakes made in the falklands re faulty equipment and lack of intelligence, although a lot of the info i require i cant get until 2012 after the 30 year act that denies me acess to certain records regards ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 I rather enjoyed reading the Falkland article and I must admit that I open to conspiracies like that, I always like to see the other side of the augment, I think it helps you to come to an informed discussion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Hardyferret Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 An interesting reminisce, at the time a acquaintance?? of mine decided to walk into the Yachtsman pub next to SBS depot and R.M.Poole just after the Cadre had been 'returned by the Argies'.He thought it a good idea to spout off about how the Falklands belonged to Argentina and what a bunch of ----s the Marines etc were. Weeks later, he was able to come off drip feed, seems he never heard of R.M. morris team, and their fine display of clog dancing!!! He now is a fine member of society!!!!! Hardyferret :eek: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morris c8 fat Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 there was an old snowcat at san-carlos landing stage by a housesit was a commando one it is probably still there we were issued BV202s to do re supply the Rapier kit spares were left at assention island to make way for more important gear? I can remember it was the worst winter the rememberd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 An interesting reminisce, at the time a acquaintance?? of mine decided to walk into the Yachtsman pub next to SBS depot and R.M.Poole just after the Cadre had been 'returned by the Argies'.He thought it a good idea to spout off about how the Falklands belonged to Argentina and what a bunch of ----s the Marines etc were. Weeks later, he was able to come off drip feed, seems he never heard of R.M. morris team, and their fine display of clog dancing!!! He now is a fine member of society!!!!! Hardyferret :eek: Come on..........you are going to have to tell us now who it was and by the way, what where you doing in there MRS H Ferret - thought it was for men only :? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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