Hundreds of lives were lost in the Falklands war and, nearly four decades later, the human experience of the conflict is still being discovered.
Two chroniclers, Lt Gen Sir Cedric Delves and Hennessy Award-winning historian Helen Parr, did just that in the opening conversation of Hay Festival Winter Weekend 2018, exploring its aftermath and the wider implications of conflict though the lens of their new books: Across an Angry Sea and Our Boys.
Delves first joined the Army in 1966. He was commissioned into the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment and later joined the SAS, which he commanded at every level. In early summer 1982 - winter in the South Atlantic - he led the D Company, 22 SAS in the Falklands. Across an Angry Sea is his chronicle of what happened. The raging seas, inhospitable glaciers, hurricane-force winds, helicopter crashes, raids behind enemy lines; it offers a moving account of a relentless campaign.
Helen Parr, meanwhile, offers insights through the memories of others. Her uncle Dave died in action on the last day of the Falklands war in 1982. Propelled by her need to find out what happened to him, Our Boys brings to life the human experiences of the paratroopers through conversations with over 60 surviving troops. It’s a detailed study of men at arms, offering a history of the Parachute Regiment, a group with an elite and aggressive reputation; and an exploration of the many legacies of this short and symbolic war.
Two writers from very different perspectives offering their tributes to the fallen and shedding light on an experience few of us have endured. As Parr noted, "there’s a paradox between the aggression of war and the selflessness. To become a soldier you have to value the group, your comrades, more highly than your own life. It's a total transformation."
Audio of Hay Festival Winter Weekend sessions will be online shortly on Hay Player.