Return to Bomb Alley 1982

Forty years on from the Falklands Conflict, veteran Paul Cardin reflects on his own experiences while asking probing questions about what really went on before, during and after those 74 days of hostility.

As a 22-year-old radio operator in the Royal Navy, Paul was stationed on HMS Yarmouth when it was anchored in San Carlos Bay, known colloquially as Bomb Alley. During his time there, he saw ships being bombed and sunk and watched his friends and comrades being injured and killed.

Return to Bomb Alley 1982 is part memoir, part critical account of the way in which the Falklands Conflict was handled. Although often referred to as a war, neither Britain nor Argentina ever made a formal declaration but the days which followed the Argentinian invasion of the Falkland Islands saw more than 900 people lose their lives and many others left with lasting physical and mental injuries.

This book is a gripping read for anyone who wants to know more about the Falklands Conflict. As well as telling his own story through diary extracts and a timeline, the author takes a thorough and journalistic approach to this period of history, asking tough questions about why and how certain decisions were made, what was really going on in the background. Just what was the role played by the British Government and Margaret Thatcher? What were their main motivations and how did they use the conflict to their advantage in the years which followed?