Plymouth remembers Falklands conflict
THE 40th anniversary of the Falklands conflict and the role the city of Plymouth played in it will be highlighted in a series of events this month.
In ‘Beyond the Battlefront’ at 7pm tomorrow, University of Plymouth historians Dr Harry Bennett and Dr Louis Halewood will present papers exploring the key political contexts that were crucial to the outcome of the 1982 campaign in the South Atlantic. The free event will take place on Zoom. More information and booking details are available from www.plymouth. ac.uk/whats-on
The Box’s ‘Local History Bonanza Day’, from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, will explore the conflict in more detail, with free talks that look at reconnaissance and landing craft operations as well as the final operations that brought the campaign to an end.
A display of photos and memorabilia collected by the Royal Marines Historical Society and the South Atlantic Medal Association will be on display in the Cottonian Research Room (also on Sunday). Veterans will be on hand to talk about the material and chat to visitors. A powerful new film featuring interviews, archival material and footage, some of which was shot on location in the Falklands in 1982, will be running on the giant film screens in the Media Lab gallery.
The film will continue to run over the coming weeks, as will refreshed displays in The Box’s Port of Plymouth and Active Archives galleries.
In Port of Plymouth, visitors can see information and a reproduction of Plymouth photographer Pete Holdgate’s famous ‘Yomper’ image, which shows a Royal Marine marching across the Falklands terrain with the Union flag attached to his radio mast.
From Saturday, a new case display in the Active Archives gallery will reflect the story of the ‘Red and Green Life Machine’, aka the Falklands Field Hospital, which treated both British and Argentinian service personnel during the 1982 conflict.
The case will feature loan items from a Falklands veteran including medical equipment, a life jacket, photographs and a history of the hospital.
More information about all The Box’s Falklands 40 activities can be found in the ‘What’s On’ section of www.theboxplymouth.com
‘Local History Bonanza Day’ kicks off the 2022 Plymouth History Festival, which also includes a ‘Mount Wise and Falklands 40’ guided walk starting at 11am on Saturday May 14. The local heritage group ‘Walks with History’ will lead people around the historic part of Devonport sharing information about its town walls, naval command centre and more. Further details about the walk, which costs £5 and must be booked in advance, can be found at www.plymouthhistoryfestival.com
Plymouth’s commemorative activities will continue into June with a Royal Marines Band Concert (June 15) and Service of Commemoration (June 19) at St Andrews Minster Church, while there will be a dedicated Falklands 40 Veterans Parade at this year’s Armed Forces Day (June 25). More details about this key event in the city’s summer calendar can be found at www.plymoutharmedforcesday.co.uk