As this year sees the 35th anniversary of the Falklands War, now might be a time to read a more up to date chronicle. I have always regarded the Defence of Stanley, and also South Georgia, to have been among the finest engagements ever fought by the Royal Marines. The Argentines were largely based in Port Stanley and Goose Green on East Falkland and Port Howard and Fox Bay on West Falklands. March 2022 Feature Tim Ripley highlights some of the many books and an award-winning drama to emerge in the 40 years since the 1982 conflict.

The war also witnessed many acts of outstanding courage by the UK Armed Forces after a strong Task Force was sent to regain the islands from the Argentine invaders. It is a great tribute to the rotary branches in the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force and John was integral part of developing them into what they are today. The first of his SAS operations that Curtis details took place in Iraq where he spent several weeks behind enemy lines. Eminently readable (I finished it in two sittings) and compelling, Bramley’s story resonated with a number of former servicemen who fought in the Falklands War and was later complimented by similar books from James O’Connell (3 Para) and Tony Banks (2 Para) in their own personal accounts. This memoir of inadequate intelligence, bureaucratic indecision, overwhelming invasion and often black humour is an enlightening read that should find its place on the bookshelves of all those with an interest in the Falklands, as well as those who wish to understand the fear and the fortitude of those who fight in close combat.

If you’re looking for a blow by blow description of this brief war between the United Kingdom and Argentina in 1982, then this may or may not be your cup of tea. Mike Norman and Michael Jones’s dramatic account draws upon Norman’s vivid recollections, the log book and action reports of the defence of Government House and Stanley, the testimony of Marines under Mike Norman’s command and recently released government archives. The book being advertised in London Bridge station at the moment is Four Weeks in May: The Loss of HMS Coventry. Following on from Nick's book My Friends the Enemy this new book seeks to show in a pictorial way the Falklands War in a new and absorbing way.

The most revealing and authentic frontline book yet' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'Moving - a remarkable and unique record' DAILY EXPRESS 'No other book has captured the flavour of the fighting as well' THE GLASGOW HERALD. I was a serving RN Officer in April 1982 and was always surprised that the actions of the very brave Royal Marine detachment NP8901 did not have their story better told at the time. If you're interested in what happened and why, there's no better source than the horse's mouth: Admiral Sandy Woodward's One Hundred Days. My first book is the result of journalistic good luck: of being in the right place at the right time.

Soldiers, sailors and airmen risked, and in some cases gave, their lives for the freedom of 1,820 islanders. And then suddenly we lost the war, quite surprisingly since we had been winning it until that very moment. I'd also recommend Brigadier Julian Thompson's No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic, 1982, for that reason, alongside Sea Harrier Over the Falklands: A Maverick at War by Sharkey Ward - with three air-to-air kills, Sharkey Ward was not only the leading Harrier pilot, but the first to demonstrate that the sub-sonic Harrier could compete with faster and ostensibly superior Argentine jets. Diplomatic Memories: Remembering the Falklands/Malvinas War Through the Diplomatic Practices of Argentina and the Falkland Islands. I was privileged to meet some of the Royal Marines who took part in the liberation of this remote South Atlantic archipelago and this book is a powerful and moving tribute to them.

Although Desmond Rice and Arthur Gavshon’s The Sinking of the Belgrano covered much more than just the sinking of the ship, it represented the first time that an account from a member of the crew of HMS Conqueror had appeared in print.Steve Walsh, a bombardier in the Royal Artillery, was onboard the Sir Galahad when it was bombed on the 8 June.