To the lighthouse – one of the UK’s toughest bike rides

[Mick F]

Last time I was involved with shore bombardment, was from the good ship HMS Ambuscade during the Falklands Conflict.
We bombarded the area in front of our troops advancing on Port Stanley. We would pick out the Argentinian camps and vehicles and scare them to death - no doubt killing lots of them - hundreds of shells night after night.
Not something I'm proud of at all.

We locked on to rocky outcrops ......... using my radars ......... and used the charts to triangulate our targets. We had a chap onboard Army or Marines - I forget which - who was on the (secure) radio to spotters ashore, so they could relay the next target to us.

We were firing high explosive shells at maximum range of twelve miles, whilst out in Berkeley Sound, over the hills at the Argentinian forces defending Stanley. Poor devils. We were dead accurate despite the lack of GPS.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Ber ... 57.7726722

[delilah]

A magical place one of the highlights of my End to End. I spent the night in the bothy. Some kind soul had left half a bottle of Rose wine and a packet of salted peanuts.
Getting on and off the the track from boat was an epic

[PH]

:shock:

Last time I was involved with shore bombardment, was from the good ship HMS Ambuscade during the Falklands Conflict.

Thanks for sharing that Mick.
Whatever ones feeling about the politics we shouldn't forget those involved at the fighting end, the jobs they did and the effects it's had on their lives. I worked with someone who is grateful for your accuracy, though I think he would swap any other aspect of his life to have not been there.

[Mick F]

It still gets to me.
You might wonder why I was in the RN but am upset by killing people.

I didn't join up to kill.
I joined up for a career and a trade, and it was the naive 1960s.
1982 was a shock to all of us, especially me.

[Mike Sales]

It still gets to me.
You might wonder why I was in the RN but am upset by killing people.

I didn't join up to kill.
I joined up for a career and a trade, and it was the naive 1960s.
1982 was a shock to all of us, especially me.

Colonel: (Graham Chapman) Come in, what do you want?

(Private Watkins enters and salutes.)

Watkins: (Eric Idle) I'd like to leave the army please, sir.

Colonel: Good heavens man, why?

Watkins: It's dangerous.

Colonel: What?

Watkins: There are people with guns out there, sir.

Colonel: What?

Watkins: Real guns, sir. Not toy ones, sir. Proper ones, sir. They've all got 'em. All of 'em, sir. And some of 'em have got tanks.

Colonel: Watkins, they are on our side.

Watkins: And grenades, sir. And machine guns, sir. So I'd like to leave, sir, before I get killed, please.

Colonel: Watkins, you've only been in the army a day.

Watkins: I know sir but people get killed, properly dead sir, no barely cross fingers sir. A bloke was telling me, if you're in the army and there's a war you have to go and fight.

Colonel: That's true.

Watkins: Well I mean, blimey, I mean if it was a big war somebody could be hurt.

Colonel: Watkins why did you join the army?

Watkins: For the water-skiing and for the travel, sir. And not for the killing, sir. I asked them to put it on my form, sir - no killing.

Colonel: Watkins are you a pacifist?

Watkins: No sir, I'm not a pacifist, sir. I'm a coward.

Colonel: That's a very silly line. Sit down.

Watkins: Yes sir. Silly, sir. (sits in corner)

Colonel: Awfully bad.

[Cunobelin]

It still gets to me.
You might wonder why I was in the RN but am upset by killing people.

I didn't join up to kill.
I joined up for a career and a trade, and it was the naive 1960s.
1982 was a shock to all of us, especially me.

Same here. I had places to study Radiography at Norwich and Addenbrookes, but dropped into the Careers Office with a friend, and was recruited.

I wasn't offered a "see the world" package as I was made aware that I would be hospital or sickbay based, with few opportunities for abroad (Gib)

What I was offered was better pay, (as opposed to a student grant) and the same qualification.

I also got to play Fireman, Prison officer, Search and Rescue along with other experiences that I would not have experienced as a Civvie

Served through the Falklands, and both Gulf Wars, but as a support role.

My brother was a medic on Glamorgan, and the irony was that my wife and I got married on June 12th the day she was hit by an Exocet.

Neither of us volunteered to fight.

[Cunobelin]

Also (and I know we are drifting off topis) the irony is that the highest decorated person in WW1 didn't fight either. William Harold Coltman was a pacifist. He won a Victoria Cross, two Military Medals, and a Distinguished Conduct Medal without firing a shot, and refusing to carry a rifle!

[Trigger]

I used to work with someone who was on HMS Sheffield, he was certainly a character!