This is an adventure story about Royal Marine Commandos going to war during the Falklands War of 1982. Myth and legend. War is an odd thing. It brings out the very best in a person and probably the converse, too. It is also the story of Argentinian Marines who also went to war. The very same war and eventually the very same battle. Memories are still very much alive. But it is curious that people witness the exact same events but remember something quite different. This book allows for these differences, accepting them as truths.
The dark stormy stage is set and the players are not even aware they are going to war. One by one, they tell their story of this great Homerian adventure. But it is not a story of heroics and daring-do. It is a story of quite normal people who, through the accident of birth dates, meet in the absurd position of fighting each other for their very lives. Some are injured, some die. Some are deeply affected by the war. If there is a case for the ‘Universal Soldier’, it is truly in this story. Soldiers are sent to war by other people. They endure, suffer and kill for a cause they know or care little about. Real war and real fighting create a microcosm of experiences.
Friendship groups reduce in size from a Commando Unit size of 600 men to much smaller groups. 9 Troop, Charlie Company, 40 Commando Royal Marines experienced this. 9 Troop comprises 32 men. All extremely close friends. Closer than you could possibly imagine. As the war progresses, the groups in the Troop reduce in size until you are only concerned with the other two men immediately around you. Microscopic. These are the men you fight for. These are the friendships you will take to the end of your days. If love were ever a thing, it was clearly present among the men of Charlie Company in 1982, also, among the men of the Argentine Marines on Sapper Hill.
The War was short and violent. Extremely violent. The Marines on both sides suffered the extreme Antarctic weather conditions and the vicious fighting. Weather was the paramount concern. Royal Marines are trained to pay attention to detail and constantly do their ‘admin’. Clean and service equipment and themselves. It is a harsh religion within the Corps and we all pay homage to it. This may have affected the outcome as much as any fighting.
