Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and the Royal Navy, with the support of BAE Systems, are hosting a weekend of free events this Saturday and Sunday to commemorate the Naval and local contribution to the liberation of the South Atlantic islands 30 years ago.
There will be displays and the opportunity to visit the new – Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon – and the older Type 42 destroyer HMS York, younger sister of some of the vessels sent south to shield the task force from air attack (HMS Sheffield and Coventry were both sunk in that role).
Both vessels will be open to the public between 10am and 4pm.
The Band of HM Royal Marines, Collingwood will provide musical entertainment at 11am and 3pm each day in Starboard Arena of HMS Victory.
Living history displays will provide visitors with a balanced view of events 30 years ago and enable them to experience first-hand accounts of Portsmouth’s contribution to the conflict.
History groups Forces 80 and Combat Forces 89 will be in uniform (Naval and Argentinean), displaying infantry kit and numerous (deactivated) weapons and will set up a command post with documents, radios and Falklands’ maps.
Over the weekend, Nicci Pugh, Senior Nursing Officer for the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Naval Nursing Service (Naval Nursing Sister), who served on the hospital ship Uganda, will give talks at 1pm and 3.30pm on Saturday 5 and at 3.30pm on Sunday 6.
And Penny Legg, author of Under the Queen’s Colours – 60 Years of Service Memories will also be giving talks at 11.30am on Saturday 5th and at 11.30am and 1pm on Sunday 6th.
Please note: although admission to the event is free, if you wish to look around the historic dockyard attractions – Victory, Warrior, Mary Rose and RN Museums – charges apply.
For those who wish to delve deeper into the causes, course and consequences of the 1982 conflict, there’s a two-day conference at the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth later this month.
Leading military academics from Britain and the USA will be speaking at The Falklands War: 30 years on, with Dr John Lehman, US Secretary of the Navy for six years in the Reagan administration giving the keynote address.
The conference, on May 19 and 20, will look at lessons, logistics, intelligence, the role of women, battlefield archaeology, memories, and the culture of the conflict and includes an evening reception aboard HMS Victory.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, May 02, 2012; Image: royalnavy