It's the middle of the night - the year is 1982 in mid May. It's bloody cold! Not surprising, really.
I am sitting in the crow's nest, yes they still exist, of HMS Leedscastle - a minesweeper based in Rosyth, Scotland. Why so cold? Well we are in the middle of the total exclusion zone in the South Atlantic - smack in the middle of the Falklands war.
And, why am I, a medic, sitting in the crow's nest in the middle of the night. Well, obvious really, I am scanning the skies looking for signs of enemy aircraft - I will be doing this for the next four hours of my watch. What's more, I volunteered to do this so that I didn't get bored. Madness!
So, how did a boy who lasted just 20 minutes in the army cadets whilst at school end up here?
Well, I'll tell you...
I am sitting in the crow's nest, yes they still exist, of HMS Leedscastle - a minesweeper based in Rosyth, Scotland. Why so cold? Well we are in the middle of the total exclusion zone in the South Atlantic - smack in the middle of the Falklands war.
And, why am I, a medic, sitting in the crow's nest in the middle of the night. Well, obvious really, I am scanning the skies looking for signs of enemy aircraft - I will be doing this for the next four hours of my watch. What's more, I volunteered to do this so that I didn't get bored. Madness!
So, how did a boy who lasted just 20 minutes in the army cadets whilst at school end up here?
Well, I'll tell you...
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