Falklands War anniversary

A former Marine from Worcester has contacted a fellow Falklands veteran, after hearing him speaking on BBC Hereford and Worcester, to thank him for the help he received when he was badly injured.

Steve Peters, from Malvern, appeared on BBC Hereford and Worcester's Howard Bentham programme, talking about working as a medic on the hospital ship HMS Herald during the Falklands War.

Gerry Watts from Stourport, who was injured fighting in the war, heard the broadcast, and BBC Hereford and Worcester were able to get the two veterans together.

1982: British soldiers head South

The former Marine Commando says he'll never forget the help he received after being injured:

"I would just like to say thank you very much to Steve, and all the other medical staff that performed all those operations, and saved many lives on both sides, both ourselves and the Argentinians. 

"I spent many weeks on the Uganda, after being initially injured during an air strike on Ajax Bay on May 27, and later I was evacuated by Chinook helicopter, and then on to Montevideo.

"I was very lucky actually – a lad died right next to me – I was hit four times by some shrapnel once the Argentine air attack came in. 

"It was a low level strike across 'bomb alley', the bombs exploded and shrapnel from those hit me in various parts, and I was very, very lucky – it could have been a lot worse.

"I was 22 years old at the time and I'd been in the Royal Marines for four years.

British troops leave for the Falklands

"I'd served in other campaigns, including Northern Ireland and Iran/Iraq, so I'd seen a little bit of action prior to the Falklands, but obviously it's a different kind of warfare.

"I'm proud to have gone down there representing our country.

"Unfortunately a lot of the guys didn't make it back, and we will be remembering them with various parades coming up over the next few weeks."

Living in the Falklands

Debbie Ford was born in the Falklands and moved to Worcester in 1977.

Debbie Ford lived in the Falklands

In 1992, after college, she went back to the Falklands to work for the Government, and during that time she got involved with some of the veterans, and especially the charity groups.

Debbie said the conflict was in the middle of their winter: "It was particularly bad weather, snowy, bleak, dark and often black, white and grey kind of image.

"So it didn't do us any favours in the media, when the images were projected into living rooms in the UK and across the world."

Over 45,000 visitors arrive on luxury crew ships each year and about half get off the ships to visit the island.