Afleveringen
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Ken Benbow Served in the 7th Escort Group in the Atlantic convoys. With no torpedoes, just guns and depth charges to protect Allied merchant ships from U-Boats, they sailed back and forth through āNo Manās Landā, 1,500 miles of ocean with no air cover, being āattacked every hour by the Germansā. Age 17, Ken went from working on a farm to Serving in the Royal Navy and his story is at the very heart of The Battle of The Atlantic.
This podcast is supported by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity.
If youāre a member of the Armed Forces community and need support with your mental health, Op Courage can help.Or you could phone the Combat Stress Helpline on: 0800 138 1619
Company of Makers exists to support veterans and their families who are struggling on civvy street no matter how long ago they left the armed forces.
We do this by running a programme of Podcasts | Talks | Workshops.
Company of Makers are trying to reach, and better understand, all members of the armed forces community who are also gamers. Weāre especially interested in those that have served in conflicts over the last 30 years.
To find out more contact us. -
Catapult-Armed Merchant āCAMā ship pilots flew highly secretive one-way missions. David Wright was one of only a handful and their stories are little known.
Using rockets and catapults mounted on merchant ships, Hurricane fighter planes were launched to shoot down German planes. With no flight deck to land on, pilots had to bail out seconds before the planes sank into the Atlantic.
Weāll hear two war time stories, Norma Wrightās, who joined the National Fire Service; and Davidās, her late husband.
You can also read David's book, Airborne by Rocket
This podcast is supported by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity.
If youāre a member of the Armed Forces community and need support with your mental health, Op Courage can help.Or you could phone the Combat Stress Helpline on: 0800 138 1619
Company of Makers exists to support veterans and their families who are struggling on civvy street no matter how long ago they left the armed forces.
We do this by running a programme of Podcasts | Talks | Workshops.
Company of Makers are trying to reach, and better understand, all members of the armed forces community who are also gamers. Weāre especially interested in those that have served in conflicts over the last 30 years.
To find out more contact us. -
Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Atlantic and Arctic Convoy Veteran, Ron Syson, gives us a gritty account of life as a Merchant Seaman. Very early on, he sailed to Iceland, Greenland and New York, and was alongside when the Normandy caught fire and capsized. He was only 15.
As well as transporting vital supplies across the Atlantic to Britain, Ron braved the Arctic seas in what Churchill described as, āthe worst journey in the world.ā Added to the Nazi threat were sub-zero temperatures, weeks of constant darkness in winter; snow, ice and for anyone overboard, little chance of rescue.
Ronās experiences left him with what the doctors back then diagnosed as āsevere nervous disabilityā. Thousands of men were lost, and for many who lived, the consequences lasted a lifetime.
Read the Battle of the Atlantic 80th Anniversary Book
This podcast is supported by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity.
If youāre a member of the Armed Forces community and need support with your mental health, Op Courage can help.Or you could phone the Combat Stress Helpline on: 0800 138 1619
Company of Makers exists to support veterans and their families who are struggling on civvy street no matter how long ago they left the armed forces.
We do this by running a programme of Podcasts | Talks | Workshops.
Company of Makers are trying to reach, and better understand, all members of the armed forces community who are also gamers. Weāre especially interested in those that have served in conflicts over the last 30 years.
To find out more contact us. -
Winston Churchill once wrote, ā... the only thing that ever really frightened me during the war was the U-Boat perilā. If The Allies had lost, Britain would have been starved into surrender.
99-year-old John Roberts gives us a fantastic insight into The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest running campaign of WWII.
John left the Royal Navy as a Rear Admiral, having joined-up aged 17 in 1938. When he first went to sea in 1941, The Allies were suffering terrible losses. John explains how the campaign evolved, tactics improved, escorts increased, equipment developed and The Allies gained a greater understanding of how to defeat the enemy.
This podcast is supported by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity.
If youāre a member of the Armed Forces community and need support with your mental health, Op Courage can help.Or you could phone the Combat Stress Helpline on: 0800 138 1619
Company of Makers exists to support veterans and their families who are struggling on civvy street no matter how long ago they left the armed forces.
We do this by running a programme of Podcasts | Talks | Workshops.
Company of Makers are trying to reach, and better understand, all members of the armed forces community who are also gamers. Weāre especially interested in those that have served in conflicts over the last 30 years.
To find out more contact us. -
Paulaās story is about the loss of her husband, Paul Harding, who Served in the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Green Jackets. He joined-up at 18 and was killed in action aged 47, in Basra 2007.
We hear about being under attack, fatality and bereavement. If you feel that you might be sensitive to this, you may prefer not to listen.
This emotional, difficult story āshows the tenacity and bravery of my two sons, and how we've recovered from the loss of their wonderful father.ā
āPaul told me ā...this is going to be the toughest of the tours of Op Telicā¦ā he really wanted to be thereā¦for his men.ā When they said goodbye, Paula felt, ā...absolutely horrific...he hugged me and said it would be the last oneā¦ā
Paul called from Iraq ā...He sounded absolutely exhausted. They'd been under siege for three daysā¦ā Having secured the site against insurgents ā...the militia were trying to stop the handover to the Iraqi armyā¦As a convoy was coming in bringing supplies, they came under attackā¦Paulā¦was trying to spot the snipers and get the vehicles inā¦They started to fire rocket propelled grenadesā¦a blast came through the opening where Paul was looking out so he could give the orders and he was killed instantly.ā
Paula was woken at 2am ā... I could see the black car and just knew why they were thereā¦and then the nightmare beganā¦When people talk about a broken heart, this is what it really is.ā
Paulaās written a book with her friend, about her experiences, āIt was cathartic but painful.ā
ā...Remember, freedom comes at a costā¦.and not to forget the people who have to carry on with their lives every day who carry the mortgage of everyone's freedom.ā
This is a story of courage and resilience. A Love Story.
If youāre a member of the Armed Forces community and need support with your mental health, Op Courage can help.Or you could phone the Combat Stress Helpline on: 0800 138 1619
Company of Makers exists to support veterans and their families who are struggling on civvy street no matter how long ago they left the armed forces.
We do this by running a programme of Podcasts | Talks | Workshops.
Company of Makers are trying to reach, and better understand, all members of the armed forces community who are also gamers. Weāre especially interested in those that have served in conflicts over the last 30 years.
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Tip Cullen, former Royal Marines Commando tells us about losing 8 of his friends in the very first operation of Op Telic 1.
Heās telling this story ā...to keep their memory aliveā and ā...for the families that had to deal with the consequencesā¦ā also for ā...people to empathise with their sacrifice, or their will to protect what we call freedomā¦Those people were legendsā¦ā
āWe deployed as a Brigade Recce Force...mostly Royal Marines Commandos, main disciplines Mountain Leaders or specialists in reconnaissance and snipersā¦ā
āA couple of days before the invasion, everything racks up. We were rehearsing for an aviation assaultā¦The helicopter that I was rehearsing on, and I was ordered to invade with, was a helicopter that would eventually crash.ā
Orders were given ready for the invasion. āEveryone was chomping at the bit, this is what we're here for, to do our job as professionally as we can.ā At the last minute, Tip was ordered to board a different helicopter and to this day, doesn't know why. He said goodbye to his mates, āBig hugsā¦See you all when we link up againā¦ā
From Tipās helicopter, he saw his friends,
ā...dive in a straight line, completely vertical towards the ground and then gone in an instant blastā¦massive fireballā¦then we got āmission abortā.ā
āI lost such close friends and in a very short space of time, from chatting to them, to holding their hands, to giving them hugsā¦to disintegrating underneath you and forever that will never leave my memoryā¦that will always leave me unsettled for the rest of my days.ā
Many thought Tip had been on that helicopter.
This was the start of the invasion and these were our first casualties.
āWe were very lucky to have such quality peopleā¦ to pick ourselves up and do all those guys who died justice.ā
Follow Tip on Instagram
If youāre a member of the Armed Forces community and need support with your mental health, Op Courage can help.Or you could phone the Combat Stress Helpline on: 0800 138 1619
Company of Makers exists to support veterans and their families who are struggling on civvy street no matter how long ago they left the armed forces.
We do this by running a programme of Podcasts | Talks | Workshops.
Company of Makers are trying to reach, and better understand, all members of the armed forces community who are also gamers. Weāre especially interested in those that have served in conflicts over the last 30 years.
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Kirk Bowett Served in The Cheshire Regiment and his deployment to the Middle East began during Op Telic 4, 2004.
We hear about his personal experiences of the realities of war, which includes details of injury and loss of limb. If you feel that you might find this challenging, you may prefer not to listen.
āI was part of the recce elementā¦in Basra Cityā¦the infrastructure had failed, no sanitationā¦We were initially met with open armsā¦ā
They tried to help ā...hearts and mindsā¦ā But there were problems ā...everything had stoppedā¦police had disappearedā¦ā
āWe were doing house assaults to try to capture the terrorists. Militias were beginning to form because of this power vacuumā¦organisedā¦good weaponsā¦planting precision IEDs.ā
Rumours, press and social media, ā...created an anger and hatred towards usā¦a nationwide attack on coalition forcesā¦All hell broke looseā¦it made me realiseā¦ itās not a peace-keeping thingā¦itās a start-stop warā¦ā
Another tour, ā...Al Qaeda had started to rear their ugly headā¦ā After that, Afghanistan, āI lost 12 friends in a 3 month periodā¦burnout of post 9/11 wars had started to really hit the combat troopsā¦.Having buried 6 or 7 of my friendsā¦putting them in the ground, that for me was closure enough on my time as an infantry soldier.ā
Kirk returned to Iraq as a bodyguard, ā...things started to take a turn for the worse. ISIS.ā His vehicle was blown-up. He lost his arm and suffered brain trauma.
Life on Civvy Street unravelled, drinking, family separation, homelessness and considering ending his life.
Blesma helped with overcoming challenges. Kirk now draws upon his experiences as a survival instructor with the RAF, in his acting career and as a published author. Although he experiences loneliness, heās found his sense of purpose, āMy children are my anchorā¦they keep me goingā¦theyāre my reason for being.ā
Follow Kirk on Instagram and Twitter
If youāre a member of the Armed Forces community and need support with your mental health, Op Courage can help.Or you could phone the Combat Stress Helpline on: 0800 138 1619
Company of Makers exists to support veterans and their families who are struggling on civvy street no matter how long ago they left the armed forces.
We do this by running a programme of Podcasts | Talks | Workshops.
Company of Makers are trying to reach, and better understand, all members of the armed forces community who are also gamers. Weāre especially interested in those that have served in conflicts over the last 30 years.
To find out more contact us. -
Piers Stacey, aged 17, joined The Corps, āā¦six days after the Twin Towers were hitā¦ā
Joining 42 Commando late 2002, ā...we all went into pre-deployment training for the build-up..it was pretty intense, pretty rapid for a fresh faced 18 year oldā¦ā
In Kuwait, ā...we landed in the desertā¦nothing thereā¦over time, defences went up, sandbag wallsā¦ā and acclimatisation training, ā...we kept our phys up and exercised out in the heat so we could condition ourselves to be able to fight in that wayā¦ā
āAs we went inā¦jumping out of the Sea Kingā¦I remember just hearing the crack and thumpā¦All of us were getting shot at and that was the start of itā¦ā
We hear how intense operations became, ā...I was a real āops junkyā, as terrifying as it wasā¦ā and how after Op Telic, Piers became a combat intelligence specialist working with the Special Boat Service.
After 19 years, Piers planned his exit from the Armed Forces,
ā...the one thing I did not consider was that sense of belonging and that sense of being part of something biggerā¦It was not an easy transitionā¦I didnāt know what to say or who to say it to.ā
Piersā mental health deteriorated and he considered driving into a head-on collision.
This was the turning point for seeking therapy which helped, leading to today having set up āHollow Heartā where supporters wear a pin to let others know you're open to talking about mental health.
āā¦Even to this day, if you asked me, āPiers, what are you?ā There will be a massive part of me that would just want to say, āI'm a Royal Marine, or I'm an intelligence officerā¦.ā I think it's going to be really difficult to shake that part of me in terms of what my identity is.ā
Please support Hollow Heart and The Royal Marines Charity
Follow Piers on Instagram
If youāre a member of the Armed Forces community and need support with your mental health, Op Courage can help.Or you could phone the Combat Stress Helpline on: 0800 138 1619
Company of Makers exists to support veterans and their families who are struggling on civvy street no matter how long ago they left the armed forces.
We do this by running a programme of Podcasts | Talks | Workshops.
Company of Makers are trying to reach, and better understand, all members of the armed forces community who are also gamers. Weāre especially interested in those that have served in conflicts over the last 30 years.
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Neville Johnson left South Africa and joined the British Army in 2003.
After basic training, he joined the 2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers on a cease-fire tour in Belfast, āThose first couple of weeks were a big eye opener for me, definitely paved the way for future operationsā¦ā
Neville deployed to Basra in 2005 and 2006, duties including night and daytime patrols, working with special forces units or the parachute regiment during raids, apprehending personnel of interest, long hours in the heat with threats of ā...indirect fire on our baseā¦it was the start of the roadside bombs.ā
He then deployed to Afghanistan, āAfghan was different. It was full-on war fighting.ā
āWe got attacked every dayā¦numerous times, all at the same time from different directions, small arms fire, sniper fire, RBG mortar rounds. We knew it was going to be hot, flying-in it was full-on.āāYou're always on alert. You're never fully relaxed. The feeling of knowing someone is there to attack you. The incoming rounds. The sound. The feeling is difficult to explain. The fear, it's horribleā¦Everyone trained together. We went through it together.ā
It wasn't until many years later that Neville felt the impact on his mental health. He doesnāt usually talk about his deployments, even with family, but he found a way through writing poems and putting them out on social media, ā...for the world to see, to dissect, was way out of my comfort zoneā¦.but getting that release, it's amazing.ā
Soldiers from the Commonwealth play a vital role in the British Armed Forces and Neville is testament to this. His poems have now been published and despite being shy, he reads some of them out to us which is incredibly moving and powerful.
Follow Neville on Instagram
If youāre a member of the Armed Forces community and need support with your mental health, Op Courage can help.Or you could phone the Combat Stress Helpline on: 0800 138 1619
Company of Makers exists to support veterans and their families who are struggling on civvy street no matter how long ago they left the armed forces.
We do this by running a programme of Podcasts | Talks | Workshops.
Company of Makers are trying to reach, and better understand, all members of the armed forces community who are also gamers. Weāre especially interested in those that have served in conflicts over the last 30 years.
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We meet Sarah Davis, Army Air Corps Ground Crew, one of the pioneering women deployed to the frontline during Op Telic 1.
Having joined-up in 1999, a time when the Armed Forces was going through changes - evolving in terms of equality and a time that would mark the start of several years of military campaigns.
We hear about getting ready to go, āI was kind of cravingā¦doing my bit for Queen and Countryā¦ā
As well as operational duties in a combat zone, refuelling and rearming attack helicopters and underslung loads, āYou donāt know how good or bad your unit is until you actually go to war.ā
We also hear about the impact on loved ones back home, āI promised on this call, āMum, I promise Iām never going to do this to you again.āā
To top it all, Sarah spins a few cracking dits highlighting the critical role of morale, listen out for the Union Flag pants.
Sarah is now involved with several military charities to help Veterans who are struggling, āwe donāt want to leave anyone behind.ā
Follow Sarah on InstagramLinks to organisations mentioned in this episode:
BFBS
Homes for Veterans
Military Wives Choir
The Rawthey Project
Soldiers Arts Academy
If youāre a member of the Armed Forces community and need support with your mental health, Op Courage can help.Or you could phone the Combat Stress Helpline on: 0800 138 1619
Company of Makers exists to support veterans and their families who are struggling on civvy street no matter how long ago they left the armed forces.
We do this by running a programme of Podcasts | Talks | Workshops.
Company of Makers are trying to reach, and better understand, all members of the armed forces community who are also gamers. Weāre especially interested in those that have served in conflicts over the last 30 years.
To find out more contact us. -
This is Pat Pattersonās story. A Royal Marine Aircrewman with 845 Naval Air Squadron flying Sea King helicopters aka āJungliesā, and his wife also served during the war.
Having looked back through his helicopter logbook, he shares with us his experiences of Op Telic 1, as well as his subsequent tours.
We hear about the scale of the operation as well as operational complexities specific to helicopter crews that fly into particularly challenging environments,
āIt was a bit more dangerous going the second or third time to Iraqā¦ā
Being an incidence response team, the crew were involved in insurgency situations as well as casualty evacuation.
They encountered the hazards of flying at night, ābrown outsā flying in desert conditions and the helicopters became ābullet magnetsā for small arms, RPG rocket launchers and surface to air missiles.
If youāre a member of the Armed Forces community and need support with your mental health, Op Courage can help.Or you could phone the Combat Stress Helpline on: 0800 138 1619
Company of Makers exists to support veterans and their families who are struggling on civvy street no matter how long ago they left the armed forces.
We do this by running a programme of Podcasts | Talks | Workshops.
Company of Makers are trying to reach, and better understand, all members of the armed forces community who are also gamers. Weāre especially interested in those that have served in conflicts over the last 30 years.
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We hear from Andy Merry, 40 Commando, who Served during Op Telic and whose mum marched in the anti-war protests.
Andy was first in to the Al-Faw Peninsula with the US Navy SEALs to capture strategic targets.
This is his personal account of his experiences and he talks about the realities of war, which includes details of injury and death.
If you feel that you might find this challenging, you may prefer not to listen.
We also hear about Andyās life after war. Heās now a āBeefeaterā at the Tower of London and has Multiple Sclerosis.
Andy embraces the spirit of The Corps, acceptance of challenge and positivity in the face of adversity.
Watch this short film to see how the RMA ā The Royal Marines Charity were able to support Andy.
Please support the MS Trust and The Royal Marines Charity
If youāre a member of the Armed Forces community and need support with your mental health, Op Courage can help.Or you could phone the Combat Stress Helpline on: 0800 138 1619
Company of Makers exists to support veterans and their families who are struggling on civvy street no matter how long ago they left the armed forces.
We do this by running a programme of Podcasts | Talks | Workshops.
Company of Makers are trying to reach, and better understand, all members of the armed forces community who are also gamers. Weāre especially interested in those that have served in conflicts over the last 30 years.
To find out more contact us. -
āTheyā¦took my husband through our house at gunpoint searching for 'the enemy', as they called them.ā Falkland Islander, Carol Phillips, had 3 small children in 1982, āMy first thought wasā¦'Are they going toā¦machine gun us all down?āā The task force had 8,000 miles to sail, āPerhaps we would all be dead by the time they got here?ā¦My Dadā¦kept saying, 'Don't let them see you're scaredā¦The British Bulldogs are on their way.'ā
Fighting started, āā¦to lose all those young menā¦it really was a nightmare.ā But locals were courageous, āā¦we made a list of places around usā¦named them afterā¦places in Britain like Cardiff, Liverpoolā¦put our little antenna onto my broomstick and set up the CBā¦we were threatened we'd be imprisoned if we used radiosā¦if we saw Argentine helicoptersā¦weād poke the broom out the window and say, 'Visitors at Liverpool.āā
Liberation was bitter-sweet, āWe were relievedā¦lost too many people for celebrationsā and danger remained, āā¦ammunitionā¦no water, electricityā¦On the radio, āā¦Argentines left upturned cups on top of saucersā¦call the EOD some have hand grenades under, some human excrementā¦'ā
255 British Servicemen and 3 female Falkland Islanders died, āThat's what I can't forgive. Never willā¦I feel so guilty for all the people who died for usā¦We'll be forever grateful for what theyāve doneā¦I just cannot thank them enough.ā
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Supported by SAMA (82) in collaboration with TheVeteran.UK
If youāre a member of the Armed Forces community and need support with your mental health, Op Courage can help.Or you could phone the Combat Stress Helpline on: 0800 138 1619
Company of Makers exists to support veterans and their families who are struggling on civvy street no matter how long ago they left the armed forces.
We do this by running a programme of Podcasts | Talks | Workshops.
Company of Makers are trying to reach, and better understand, all members of the armed forces community who are also gamers. Weāre especially interested in those that have served in conflicts over the last 30 years.
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ā'I'm not going to lose my lifeā¦here'ā¦I could just see a picture of my wife and my two boys in my mind thinking, 'No, I'm gonna get out.' That was my motivation.ā
Chris Howe was deep down inside HMS Coventry, D118, āā¦a dull thudā¦followed by extreme heatā¦a flash and a fireball whipping around the Operations Roomā¦we'd been hitā¦next thing I knewā¦I'm coming roundā¦my right arm was on fireā¦water was coming inā¦fires all aroundā¦thick black smokeā¦Iā¦managed to get upā¦very badly burnedā¦in a lot of painā¦ā
Eventually struggling to the upper deck, āā¦I remember looking out and seeing thisā¦flotilla of orange life raftsā¦I slid down the ship's side and into the cold, salty South Atlantic waterā¦picked a life raft and swamā¦ā
Chris was finally rescued, āā¦the winch was coming downā¦finally managed to pull me in to the Sea Kingā¦I still hadn't had any pain reliefā¦I remember laying there in this stretcherā¦thinking, 'What are they going to do with me now?'ā
Chris suffered 27% burns, āā¦nothing compared to others that sadly lost their lives...there's not a day goes by I don't think about what happened 40 years ago, on 25th of Mayā¦about 19 shipmates, that didn't make it. Why didn't they make it? Why did I make it?ā¦that's a sad thingā¦very sad thing.ā
Donāt forget to sign-up to our newsletter and weāll send you all the latest updates about our podcasts, talks & workshops, direct to your inbox.
Supported by SAMA (82) in collaboration with TheVeteran.UK
If youāre a member of the Armed Forces community and need support with your mental health, Op Courage can help.Or you could phone the Combat Stress Helpline on: 0800 138 1619
Company of Makers exists to support veterans and their families who are struggling on civvy street no matter how long ago they left the armed forces.
We do this by running a programme of Podcasts | Talks | Workshops.
Company of Makers are trying to reach, and better understand, all members of the armed forces community who are also gamers. Weāre especially interested in those that have served in conflicts over the last 30 years.
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āI would happily go to sea with them all over again, cracking bunch of guys, led by a cracking man.ā We hear from Mick Dilucia, of HMS Coventry Flight, Coventryās helicopter team. āThe mood was fairly relaxed heading southā¦ none of us believed it was ever going to happenā¦then Sandy Woodward briefed usā¦ 'Look around amongst us because we might not all go home togetherā¦'ā
Mick was on the flightdeck on that fateful day, 25 May 1982, āā¦the order was given to turn to starboard...and that's when it happened, the bombs came inā¦they exploded, it was just like we'd been hit by a big wave...but after thatā¦smoke billowing out of the sideā¦the ship started to list almost immediatelyā¦I had to climb up the deck and over the guard rails and just slide down the side of the ship into the water and swim to a life raftā¦that ship was almost turned turtle in 15 minutesā¦some of the guys, down from the bowels of the ship, got people out that would have gone down with the ship.ā
āFrom that day onwards, I thought to myself, if I wake up tomorrow morning and I've got another day ahead of me, then it's a bonus because it could so easily have been taken away.ā
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Supported by SAMA (82) in collaboration with TheVeteran.UK
If youāre a member of the Armed Forces community and need support with your mental health, Op Courage can help.Or you could phone the Combat Stress Helpline on: 0800 138 1619
Company of Makers exists to support veterans and their families who are struggling on civvy street no matter how long ago they left the armed forces.
We do this by running a programme of Podcasts | Talks | Workshops.
Company of Makers are trying to reach, and better understand, all members of the armed forces community who are also gamers. Weāre especially interested in those that have served in conflicts over the last 30 years.
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What was a submarine doing in a war to retake The Falkland Islands? ā...the ability to land and recover Special Forcesā¦SAS and SBS, was key.ā We hear the fascinating and poignant story of HMS Onyx, the only diesel-electric boat that Served during the war. Submariner, Steve Hussey, was there and shares his unique insight, from beneath the waves, āNone of this is done in daylightā¦surveillance takes place beforehandā¦if all the conditions are rightā¦gettingā¦as close as you can get these guys and surface them, then it's very quickā¦open up the submarine and get these guys offā¦then dive again.ā So, discreet and covert operations. How were they recovered? āā¦getting in contact is the first positive thing because then you know they're actually thereā¦ā
In stark contrast, towards the end of the war, āā¦we had the unenviable task of having to sink The Sir Galahadā¦she had been hit by Argentinian aircraft bombsā¦and was extremely damagedā¦with quite a lot of loss of lifeā¦and the decisionā¦was toā¦leave it in The Falklands as a War Grave... Normally, there'sā¦noise in the control room as you're setting-up for an attackā¦this was nothing like that. This was extremely sombre, very quiet as the orders were givenā¦the CO was on the periscope, so he was the only person who could actually witness itā¦When the torpedoes were fired, there was just complete silenceā¦ā
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Supported by SAMA (82) in collaboration with TheVeteran.UK
If youāre a member of the Armed Forces community and need support with your mental health, Op Courage can help.Or you could phone the Combat Stress Helpline on: 0800 138 1619
Company of Makers exists to support veterans and their families who are struggling on civvy street no matter how long ago they left the armed forces.
We do this by running a programme of Podcasts | Talks | Workshops.
Company of Makers are trying to reach, and better understand, all members of the armed forces community who are also gamers. Weāre especially interested in those that have served in conflicts over the last 30 years.
To find out more contact us. -
āI was in a pub in Aldershotā¦a couple of the guys came in with the paperā¦and the general feeling was that we needed to get over thereā¦and start kicking some arse.ā This is the story of 2 Para, told through the eyes of Gary Steele, who Served in the battalion during The Falklands War.
āWe needed to do something, and Goose Green was the something that we did. We set off at night, we left rucksacks behind, everyone was just loaded-up with as much ammunition as they could takeā¦ā
Amidst the danger, British humour and stoicism played its part, āItās a funny thing, being mortaredā¦initially itās just sheer terrorā¦youāre lying face-downā¦you can hear shrapnel flying over you, you can hear the explosion; but after a minute or two, it gets a bit boring ācos thereās not really a lot you can doā¦so I got my little stove out, brewed-up some hot water, had a coffee, while we were being mortared.ā
The battle was brutal, āā¦The CO was dead, The Adjutant was deadā¦some of the best soldiers in the battalion had been killed. There were loads of people wounded. It was a pretty shocking situationā¦you really wanted to do your bitā¦you really wanted to get stuck-in and helpā and thatās exactly what 2 Para did.
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Supported by SAMA (82) in collaboration with TheVeteran.UK
If youāre a member of the Armed Forces community and need support with your mental health, Op Courage can help.Or you could phone the Combat Stress Helpline on: 0800 138 1619
Company of Makers exists to support veterans and their families who are struggling on civvy street no matter how long ago they left the armed forces.
We do this by running a programme of Podcasts | Talks | Workshops.
Company of Makers are trying to reach, and better understand, all members of the armed forces community who are also gamers. Weāre especially interested in those that have served in conflicts over the last 30 years.
To find out more contact us. -
āYouāve got the battles, then youāve got the humanitarian sideā¦Itās a strange thing is warā¦ā This is the astonishing story of how a North Sea passenger ferry and her civilian crew, became a troop carrier, rescue ship and prisoner of war ship; in the thick of the firing, bombs and air attacks of The Falklands War.
The entire operation would have been impossible without the merchant ships taken up from trade and requisitioned. But, how did they come to play critical roles in a war 8,000 miles away? We hear from Keith Thompson of MV Norland, whoās crew all volunteered to support the task force.
However, they could not have foreseen just how dangerous it would get. The night before landing 2 Para on The Falklands, āā¦we had a message that Norland would go through firstā¦the SAS had found minesā¦they decided to take the old ships through firstā¦so Norland headed through, followed by HMS Plymouth, HMS Intrepid and HMS Fearlessā¦we were the first few ships through the minefield.ā
That was just the start. Norland finally got back to Hull on 1st February 1983, after 282 days at sea, āWe were proud of what we didā¦weād certainly do it againā¦but only on Norland.ā
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Supported by SAMA (82) in collaboration with TheVeteran.UK
If youāre a member of the Armed Forces community and need support with your mental health, Op Courage can help.Or you could phone the Combat Stress Helpline on: 0800 138 1619
Company of Makers exists to support veterans and their families who are struggling on civvy street no matter how long ago they left the armed forces.
We do this by running a programme of Podcasts | Talks | Workshops.
Company of Makers are trying to reach, and better understand, all members of the armed forces community who are also gamers. Weāre especially interested in those that have served in conflicts over the last 30 years.
To find out more contact us. -
āThe First Sea Lordā¦ decreed that HMS Hermes was under just 72 hoursā notice to sailā¦ā Itās the day after the Argentinians invaded The Falklands and Margaret Thatcher announces that Britain would send a task force. Just a few days later, the task force was ready for war. This is the story of the dockyard workers who rose to that challenge, many of whom had just received redundancy notice.
Flagship HMS Hermes was in a state of disrepair, āā¦an assisted maintenance period in Portsmouth Royal Dockyard. From the top of her main mast right down to her flightdeck, she was covered in scaffolding, much of her main machinery was ashore in the civilian workshops when the call cameā¦ā
We hear accounts from two former Portsmouth dockyard workers who worked round the clock to achieve this enormous task, Clifford Ball and Mike Huitson. These are voices not usually heard but without whom, the task force could not have sailed.
We also hear from Andrew Cave, who Served on HMS Hermes. Heās now working to ensure that the thousands of dockyard workers from across the UK and Gibraltar, are commemorated for their herculean effort in readying the warships, troop carriers and supply vessels to sail 8,000 miles and fight a war with no land-based air support, in just a matter of days.
Donāt forget to sign-up to our newsletter and weāll send you all the latest updates about our podcasts, talks & workshops, direct to your inbox.
Supported by SAMA (82) in collaboration with TheVeteran.UK
If youāre a member of the Armed Forces community and need support with your mental health, Op Courage can help.Or you could phone the Combat Stress Helpline on: 0800 138 1619
Company of Makers exists to support veterans and their families who are struggling on civvy street no matter how long ago they left the armed forces.
We do this by running a programme of Podcasts | Talks | Workshops.
Company of Makers are trying to reach, and better understand, all members of the armed forces community who are also gamers. Weāre especially interested in those that have served in conflicts over the last 30 years.
To find out more contact us. -
āFor the last 40 years, (weāve been) trying to get the truth told about what happened on the day that it all kicked off, 2nd April 1982.ā This is that true story.
āā¦We didnāt just surrender as the popular story goes.ā Ray Bloye was part of Naval Party 8901, the small detachment of Royal Marines on the Falklands at the time of the invasion.
The portrayal of NP8901 by the British press led to 40 years of hurt, āThe Daily Mail headline, āShamedāā¦The Sun, āSurrenderā. Ray hopes that the record will finally be set straight, āWhat I want, is an acknowledgement from the MOD and the government that we did our job.ā
Ray takes us through a blow-by-blow account of the first few hours of the invasion, including the attack on their barracks in the middle of the night, ā3 o'clockā¦ it was a very still, calm night and we could hear the choppers coming inā¦ shortly after this, all hell seems to break looseā¦ā
The Royal Marines, massively outnumbered and under attack by land, sea and air, defended the Islands without suffering casualties. Finally, Rex Hunt, Governor of the Falklands, ordered them to stop fighting and lay down their weapons as a truce had been declared.
Donāt forget to sign-up to our newsletter and weāll send you all the latest updates about our podcasts, talks & workshops, direct to your inbox.
Supported by SAMA (82) in collaboration with TheVeteran.UK
If youāre a member of the Armed Forces community and need support with your mental health, Op Courage can help.Or you could phone the Combat Stress Helpline on: 0800 138 1619
Company of Makers exists to support veterans and their families who are struggling on civvy street no matter how long ago they left the armed forces.
We do this by running a programme of Podcasts | Talks | Workshops.
Company of Makers are trying to reach, and better understand, all members of the armed forces community who are also gamers. Weāre especially interested in those that have served in conflicts over the last 30 years.
To find out more contact us. - Laat meer zien
