Remembering the Falklands War Media, Memory and Identity Sarah Maltby palgrave macmillan memory studies Palgrave Macmillan Memory Studies Series Editors: Andrew Hoskins University of Glasgow Glasgow , United Kingdom John Sutton Department of Cognitive Science Macquarie University Macquarie , Australia Aim of the Series The nascent fi eld of Memory Studies emerges from contemporary trends that include a shift from concern with historical knowledge of events to that of memory, from ‘what we know’ to ‘how we remember it’; changes in generational memory; the rapid advance of technologies of memory; panics over declining powers of memory, which mirror our fascination with the possibilities of memory enhancement; and the development of trauma narratives in reshaping the past. These factors have contributed to an intensifi cation of public discourses on our past over the last thirty years. Technological, political, interpersonal, social and cultural shifts affect what, how and why people and societies remember and forget. This groundbreaking new series tackles questions such as: What is ‘memory’ under these conditions? What are its prospects, and also the prospects for its interdisciplinary and systematic study? What are the conceptual, theo- retical and methodological tools for its investigation and illumination? More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/14682 Sarah Maltby Remembering the Falklands War Media, Memory and Identity Sarah Maltby Department of Media and Film University of Sussex Brighton , UK Palgrave Macmillan Memory Studies ISBN 978-1-137-55659-2 ISBN 978-1-137-55660-8 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-55660-8 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016943727 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2016 The author(s) has/have asserted their right(s) to be identifi ed as the author(s) of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Cover illustration: Rusted Argentinian Cradle Assembly for Browning Machine Gun from the 1982 war located at the summit of Mount Harriet, Falkland Islands. Image Courtesy Sarah Maltby. Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Macmillan Publishers Ltd. London For Susan Maltby ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It is apparent to me now that the origins of this book derive from my own project of remembering, not only of a childhood touched by the Falklands War but one that was also lived out on windswept islands which, like the Falklands, were beautiful but (at times) felt culturally and geographically distant. I am grateful for that childhood, and for the memories I am left with. They have informed this book in many ways. I am also thankful to those who, in one way or another, gave me the opportunity to revisit them during the research and writing process. Thank you in particular to Andrew Hoskins and John Sutton, Series Editors for the book, and to Felicity Plester and Sophie Auld at Palgrave Macmillan. Thanks also to the Sociology Department at City University who funded the research, espe- cially Frank Webster who backed the initial proposal and Andrea Tinson who helped to secure the funding for this and other research projects during my time there. I am indebted to those who so willingly gave their time to take part in the research, particularly from the British military, the BBC and the Falkland Islands. I would especially like to thank Pete, Mickey, Dave, Mark (Merlin), Pat, Neal, Martin and Ray for their spirited company during my stay on the Islands. Thanks also to Phil and Stella for offering me such fascinating insights into Island culture, and to Darren for providing rich observations of the 30th anniversary at a time when he was least able to accommodate the demands of an academic researcher. Lastly, thanks to all those from the BBC, especially Carolyn, Julie, Johnny and Gavin, and to Mike Bracken for helping me clarify my thinking at the outset of the project. vii viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I consider myself extremely fortunate to be surrounded by colleagues whose intellectual stimulation and guidance is a constant source of encour- agement and who have enriched this book in numerous ways. In particu- lar, sincere thanks to Helen Thornham whose honest and fertile appraisals of the book made its completion signifi cantly more enjoyable. Special thanks also to Lucy Robinson whose insights and observations of both the Falklands War and drafts of this book were a moulding force. I am also thankful to Ben O’Loughlin for his good humour when confronted with my research ramblings despite their only occasionally producing a good idea. Other signifi cant colleagues are too numerous to mention but include all those in the School of Media, Film and Music at Sussex University who, collectively, continue to provide me with a uniquely invig- orating and nurturing place to practise and write research. Thanks also to family and friends, including some of those above, for their ongoing encouragement and loyalty. In particular, a very special thanks to Hamish for being at my side at the most rewarding and testing of times (and all those in between). Special thanks also to Jane for her exceptional under- standing and rejuvenating spirit. And to Kevin McSorley whose friend- ship is rewarding and steadfast. There are others whose support over the past few years has contributed to the completion of this book in more ways than they could know, including Bryan and Rosemary Maltby, Penny and Byron Bayford, Judith, Mikey and Ruby Hannan, Lucy and Simon Brooks, and Vicky and Matt, Stead. Lastly, I would like to express my enduring thanks to Susan Maltby and Bob Wise who remain central to my own remembering and whose excep- tional love, guidance and humility I will carry with me always. I dedicate this book to them, the memory of who I value beyond measure. CONTENTS 1 Introduction 1 2 The Media and the Falklands 19 3 Multiple Identities, Subjectivity and Narrative Sense-Giving 47 4 Identity and Memory Work as News Determinants 77 5 Confl icting Identities, Interpellation and Agency 113 6 Media-Remembering: Power, Identity and Agency 145 Index 167 ix LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 2.1 The Yomper, depicting 45 Royal Marine Commando’s march towards Port Stanley during the Falklands War, 1982. Marine Peter Robinson carries the Union Flag on his pack. Photographer: Pete Holdgate, Royal Navy Offi cial Photographer (with permission Imperial War Museum) 24 Fig. 2.2 Yomper Statue at the entrance to the Royal Marines Museum, Southsea, Hants. Photographer Richard Lewis (with permission Richard Lewis) 25 Fig. 2.3 Screen shot of Nick Taylor and Marcello Llambias from Return to the Falklands , ITV, 20 March 2012 31 Fig. 2.4 Argentine Military Cemetery, East Falkland. Author’s own photograph 33 Fig. 2.5 Screen shot of Major John Crosland retracing the battle of Goose Green at the point where Colonel H. Jones was killed, Return to the Falklands, Yesterday TV, 1 April 2012 38 Fig. 2.6 Screen shot of the visitors to the memorial service held at the Blue Beach Cemetery, Port San Carlos on the 13 June 2012, BBC News, 13 June 2012 39 Fig. 2.7 Screen shot of Nick Taylor retracing the battle of Mount of Two Sisters, Return to the Falklands, ITV, 20 March 2012 40 Fig. 2.8 Simon Weston at the memorial for the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards’ at Fitzroy Bay, Return to the Falklands, ITV 20 March 2012 41 Fig. 3.1 The Yomper: Photographer: Pete Holdgate, Royal Navy Offi cial Photographer (with permission, Imperial War Museum) 53 xi xii LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 3.2 Screen shot of Wootton Bassett funeral procession, Channel 4 News, 9 June 2010 68 Fig. 4.1 Screen shot of interview with Islander Richard Edwards from Falklands Islands Legislative Assembly at the G24 Summit in New York, Channel 4 News, 14 June 2012 90 Fig. 4.2 Screen shot of Falkland Islanders outside the G24 Summit in New York, ITV News, 14 June 2012 91 Fig. 4.3 Screen shot of visual imagery from opening sequence: Argentinian Prisoners, BBC Television News, 14 June 2012 92 Fig. 4.4 Screen shot of visual imagery from opening sequence: HMS Antelope., BBC Television News, 14 June 2012 92 Fig. 4.5 Screen shot of visual imagery from opening sequence: Mount Harriet Memorial Cross, BBC Television News, 14 June 2012 93 Fig. 4.6 Screen shot of archival footage of ‘the Yomp’ in 1982 from BBC Television News, 14 June 2012 94 Fig. 4.7 Screen shot of archival footage of British troops entering Port Stanley in 1982, BBC Television News, 14 June 2012 95 Fig.