Skip to main content

Falklands 40 – What Portsmouth Saw

Come and hear the stories of the veterans who served in the Falklands conflict at Fort Nelson in a new exhibition, Falklands 40 – What Portsmouth Saw.

seven military veterans posing for a picture at Fort Nelson

The exhibition features recordings of local men who served in the Falklands War, discussing their experiences of returning to the south coast, alongside BBC South footage and images from The News of the emotional, spectacular homecomings to Portsmouth Harbour.

A display of small arms used by the armed forces in the Falklands War will also be on show in the exhibition which runs from 25 May to 25 September – free admission.

Fort Nelson witnessed the comings and goings of the Falklands War with ships departing and arriving from its high viewpoint overlooking Portsmouth Harbour.

Forty years on and the exhibition shows the emotion of the homecomings after British troops gained control of the Falklands in June 1982, following the surrender of the Argentinian forces.

Portsmouth played a huge part in the Falklands War. Of the 127 ships that sailed the 8,000 miles to the Falklands, a third of the taskforce were prepared in the dockyard.

We would like to thank ten Falklands veterans who came to film at Fort Nelson, and tell their stories of the conflict and coming home to Portsmouth.

  • Barrie Jones – HMS Intrepid
  • Alan ‘Sharkey’ Ward – HMS Herald
  • Mark Edwards – HMS Yarmouth
  • Chris Purcell – HMS Sheffield
  • Derek ‘Smokey’ Cole – HMS Intrepid
  • Joe Erskine – HMS Hydra
  • Andy Gatherer – HMS Glamorgan
  • John Galway – HMS Sheffield
  • Philip Currier – HMS Hermes
  • John Mathison – Royal Marines

Elizabeth Puddick, Events Manager, said: “We wanted to mark the 40th anniversary of the Falklands with a special exhibition and then we realised we had the best view in the city of the homecomings.

“It’s a free exhibition so come along and share in a bit of Portsmouth’s history with all the family.”

For More Information

Contact

About the Royal Armouries

Entry to the museum is free but some activities carry a small charge.

  • Royal Armouries has sites in Leeds, HM Tower of London and Fort Nelson in Hampshire.
  • The Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds houses a major part of the national collection of arms and armour, and displays over 8,500 objects throughout its five themed galleries
  • Open all year daily, 10am-5pm. Closed 24-26 December
  • Website