The Falklands War in poetry : my journey

When the Task Force sailed triumphantly back to Britain at the end of the Falklands War in 1982 there were scenes of national celebration and a general feeling of pride that the conflict had been brought to a swift conclusion.

But the experiences of the servicemen who fought in the war could never wholly be consigned to the past.

They would never be free of the effects of the trauma they had suffered.

Wounds were mental as well as physical, and for many they would never heal.

These poems, written over many years, were mostly composed while Easton Thomas was in hospital suffering from the effects of combat stress.

They provide a unique record of the Falklands War from the point of view of a young anti-aircraft gunner.