One day in a stormy sea,
Our forces steamed south to thee,
To retake this cold wet isles,
To see the falklanders smiles

But I wasn’t there to take part in that war,
I was only ten years old, from home I saw,
How lucky I was not an Argentine,
That age would have been just fine

My uncle did go south that year,
In the RAF, on harriers, they left and we gave a cheer,
What happened down there is well documented,
So I will leave it to the veterans to write about it

However many years later on,
where had the time gone,
In the RAF I was, getting ready to go,
Down to the Falklands, thank god no snow

It was summer down there by the time I arrived,
A long bumpy journey from Brize, I was happy to be alive,
The greeting we got as we taxied in,
Lots of pongos, matloes and crabs with a grin.

Even the pilot got a taste of humour during taxi in,
All along a bank, were scorecards for landing,
Many large Kenny Everett hands aloft,
I rubbed my eyes, has everyone gone soft.

The most important thing when the aircraft stopped,
Not chocks or steps, what number on the wheel was at the top,
A friendly competition was held each time,
A Timmy landed and taxied just fine.

Greeted by staff at the terminal,
Don’t step on the mines was all,
Then off on a whistle stop tour,
This place was big and windy for sure.

Very soon my oppo was ready to go,
He is someone I will never get to know,
So I settled to 4 months down here,
From the Argies I’m told we have nothing to fear

The majority of things that took up my time,
Are not really worth explaining in this rhyme,
But there are plenty to say I have done,
Not all of them for pleasure or fun,

I walked the battle walks, following the fight,
Mostly the battles, they took place in the night,
It was very humbling to see what they did,
Back when I was watching on Tv, just a kid,

Burnt out wrecks of helicopters can be found,
The remains are just lying around,
I even got to dive in San Carlos bay,
But the war graves were out of bounds that day.

To see the enemy battle harness in the museum,
Saddens me to think of the kids that filled em,
Minefields abound around the islands,
In bogs, mountains, even the sands.

Its stunning that small penguins you can see,
Wandering around the other side of the fence from me,
To light to set of anything below,
They are more interested in giving each other a show.

When I left for home, one thing left with me,
A sense of pride in the army, Air force and royal Navy,
They gave so much so far from home,
Back then they didn’t have access to even a phone.

The people serving in the armed forces of the UK,
Are ready and willing, and here to stay,
The job they do is difficult at best,
But they do it so well, better than the rest.

So take pride like me in the people each day,
That are on duty, so you are safe to play,
They give up more than you will ever know,
Mostly what they experience they will never show.

To the Falkland vets I salute you.
And to the ones that fell, who I never knew,
You hold a special place in my heart,
Take pride in the action which you took part.