Falklands Gunner

The Royal Artillery played an absolutely vital, though often forgotten, part in the British armed forces successful operation to re-capture of the Falkland Islands in 1982. The actions of the artillery were recorded by one young officer in a journal which he kept before, during and after the conflict.

Second Lieutenant Tom Martin was a Command Post Officer with 29 (Corunna) Field Battery RA which deployed to the South Atlantic in 1982 as part of the Task Force dispatched to retake the Falklands. With its six 105mm Light Guns making the journey on the MV Europic Ferry, the Battery sailed south on the MV Norland with 2 PARA, joining 3 Commando Brigade for the landings. The five gun batteries of the Royal Artillery, totalling thirty light field guns, fired a tremendous number of shells on the Argentine forces. For its part, 29 (Corunna) Field Battery fired the first Fire Mission of the conflict and continued to do so until the Argentinian surrender in the most testing environment and against the odds. Whilst in the South Atlantic, Martin sought to detail and record the action on the Battery s gun position.

Supported by the recollections of some of those he served alongside, Martin s notes and diary entries form the basis of this book; a vivid, blow-by-blow account which provides a comprehensive picture of the Royal Artillery and its pivotal role in the Falklands War.

About the Author

Having passed through the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Tom Martin was a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery when the Falklands War began in 1982. As Command Post Officer of 29 (Corunna) Field Battery, he soon found himself heading to the South Atlantic. After the conflict, Tom became an Army pilot and, having transferred to the Army Air Corps, served as a flying instructor, including with the Royal Air Force s Central Flying School, the Royal Marines Air Squadron and the Fleet Air Arm.

During his military career, Tom served in the United Kingdom, Germany and Northwest Europe, Canada and the USA, the Caribbean, Kenya, Norway, Northern Ireland and the South Atlantic. After retiring from the Army in 1997, Tom became a commercial helicopter pilot, where he continues to fly for the emergency services.