“Does history repeat itself?

Or are its repetitions only penance for those who are

incapable of listening to it? No history is mute. No matter how much they burn it, break it, and
lie about it, human history refuses to shut its mouth. Despite deafness and ignorance, the time
that was continues to tick inside the time that is. The right to remember does not figure among
the human rights consecrated by the United Nations, but now more than ever we must insist
on it and act on it. Not to repeat the past but to keep it from being repeated. Not to make us
ventriloquists for the dead but to allow us to speak with voices that are not condemned to echo
perpetually with stupidity and misfortune. When it’s truly alive, memory doesn’t contemplate
history, it invites us to make it. More than in museums, where its poor old soul gets bored,
memory is in the air we breathe, and from the air it breathes us.”

Eduardo Galeano. Upside Down: A Primer for the Looking-glass World.

¿La historia se repite? ¿O se repite sólo como penitencia de quienes son incapaces
de escucharla? No hay historia muda. Por mucho que la quemen, por mucho que la rompan,
por mucho que la mientan, la historia humana se niega a callarse la boca. El tiempo que fue
sigue latiendo, vivo, dentro del tiempo que es, aunque el tiempo que es no lo quiera o no lo
sepa. El derecho de recordar no figura entre los derechos humanos consagrados por las
Naciones Unidas, pero hoy es más que nunca necesario reivindicarlo y ponerlo en práctica:
no para repetir el pasado, sino para evitar que se repita; no para que los vivos seamos
ventrílocuos de los muertos, sino para que seamos capaces de hablar con voces no
condenadas al eco perpetuo de la estupidez y la desgracia. Cuando está de veras viva, la
memoria no contempla la historia, sino que invita a hacerla. Más que en los museos, donde
la pobre se aburre, la memoria está en el aire que respiramos; y ella, desde el aire, nos
respira.

Eduardo Galeano. Patas Arriba: la Escuela del Mundo al Revés.

⥈
Eduardo Galeano (1940-2015) is one of Latin America’s most distinguished writers, journalists, and
historians. He is the author of the Memory of Fire trilogy, Open Veins of Latin America, Soccer in Sun
and Shadow, and many other works. He was born in Montevideo and lived in exile in Argentina and
Spain before returning to Uruguay in 1985 with the advent of democracy.
 Index

1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….p. 2

2. Research methodology………………………………………………………………….p. 2

3. The Falkland Islands……………………………………………………………………p. 3

3.1. Geographical location…………………………………………………………p. 3

3.2. Historical background………………………………………………………….p. 4

3.3. Historical context in the 1980s……………………………………………….p. 5

3.3.1. The Argentine Dictatorship…………………………………………p. 5

3.3.2. The Iron Lady………………………………………………………...p. 6

3.4. On war………………………………………………………………….………p. 7

3.5. Uruguay’s position during the conflict…………………………………….…p. 8

3.6. Aftermath of the war…………………………………………………………..p. 9

3.6.1. Restoration of democracy in Argentina………………………….. p.9

3.6.2. Thatcherism in Great Britain……………………………………….p. 11
3.6.3. Five ways the Falkland Islands War changed the world………..p. 11

3.7. The Falkland Islands today…………………………………………………..p.13

4. The interviews. …………………………………………………………………………p. 14

4.1. Carl Craven……………………………………………………………………p.14

4.2. Julie-Anne and Martin Craven………………………………………………p.16

5. Conclusions…………………………………………………………………………….p.21

Bibliography and References ………………………………………………………………….p.23

Annex 1: Interviews……………………………………………………………………………..p. 24

Annex 2: Images/Photographs…………………………………………………………………p. 26

1
1. Introduction.

In April 1982, the Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas), an archipelago in the South
Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf and a British colony since 1841, were invaded by
Argentine forces in an attempt to capture its territories. This military action catalyzed the
subsequent Falklands War, a 10-week military conflict between Argentina and the United
Kingdom. The episode had a strong effect in both countries, transforming their political
systems, modifying their economies, and having an impact on their societies, disrupting
their citizens' daily lives. The present work is the description of the events that triggered
the conflict as well as its consequences. Likewise, through the oral account of three
interviewees of British nationality, our purpose is to investigate whether this war had any
effect on the lives of these then adolescents.

2. Research methodology.

Oral history is an example of authentic data accumulated through an individual

interview that aims to perceive a person's life story or a witness’ account of a unique
experience.

It permits us to grasp how people from different roles in society meet daily life and
catastrophic events at the same time. It also takes testimony from the past into the
future, to educate and motivate the next generations.

“Oral History collects memories and personal commentaries of historical significance

through recorded interviews. An oral history interview generally consists of a well-
prepared interviewer questioning an interviewee and recording their exchange in audio
or video format”. (Ritchie, D. 2014, p1).

In other words, Oral History helps us to understand how individuals and communities
experienced the forces of history, it helps us to round out the stories of the past and
furthermore, it teaches us what has changed and what has stayed the same over time.

In this research, the methodology chosen is the semi-structured interview, typical of

the social sciences, which proposes to the interviewees mostly open-ended questions
to get long and descriptive answers.
In relation to this, we would like to show up why we think that ‘personal perspectives’
(as it is how we focused our research) is meaningful.

2
 In words of Elizabeth Jelin (“Los trabajos de la memoria”), she makes reference to the
importance of memories to build History: ‘En la tradición de los análisis de las Ciencias
Sociales (incluyendo a la historia) la apelación a la memoria ha estado presente de
manera permanente en el proceso de recolección y construcción de “datos” ‘(Jelin, E.
2002. p 63)

3. The Falkland Islands.

3.1. Geographical location.

The Falkland Islands is an archipelago consisting of two main islands (East and
West Falkland) and 778 smaller islands, with a total land area of approximately
4,700 sq. m. (just over half the size of Wales).

Geographically, the Falklands were once a part of East Africa. They are
situated in the South Atlantic, some 483 km from the South American mainland
and 1,365 km North of the Antarctic Circle.

The climate is characterised by a narrow temperature range, which varies from

24°C in January to -5°C in July, although temperatures can feel colder due to
the wind. Rainfall is low and evenly distributed throughout the year. (Annex:
Image 1 - Falkland Islands location, map from 2000, Source: General map of the Falkland
Islands (Malvinas) (2000) - Falkland Islands (Malvinas)

Until the beginning of the 20th century, the islands were highly appreciated due
to its strategic location as they were the only alternative to the continental coast
for those ships connecting the Pacific and Atlantic oceans to refuel.

By the time the British occupied the islands, the Panama Canal did not yet exist,
so the Strait of Magellan was the only inter-oceanic communication route
through the American continent. The United Kingdom was at that time a
powerful nation with colonial policies which made the islands a focus of
attention.

Currently, the value of such a strategic location has turned towards the
geographical-natural resources. A clear example of this is the continental shelf.

3
 The so-called Argentine continental shelf, the part on which these islands
"rest", is one of the largest in the world, being the third or fourth in extension
after the Russian and Canadian, and allows navigation throughout the year.

3.2. Historical background.

In 1690, the English captain John Strong made the first known landing in the
Falkland Islands. He gave the name of Falkland Sound to a waterway between
the two main islands after Viscount Falkland, one of the owners of his ship
Welfare. It was not only until 1764 when the first settlement was founded on
East Falkland by a French navigator who named the island group Malovines.

In 1765, the British settled West Falkland but they were driven 5 years later by
the Spanish who had bought the settlement to the French in 1767. The British
gained back the outpost on West Falkland in 1771 but withdrew from the island
in 1774 for reasons of economy. Spain maintained the settlement Soledad
Island on East Falkland until 1811.

Argentina declared its independence from Spain in 1816 and four years later,
proclaimed its sovereignty over the Falklands.

In 1832, an Argentinian military garrison landed in the islands, disregarding the

British claim of 67 years prior. Three months later, the Royal Navy expelled the
Argentinian military garrison and by 1841 the Falklands received a British
civilian lieutenant as Governor of the islands.

The civilian population in the island, with permission from Britain, was invited
to stay and in 1845, with a permanent British administration already established
there and increasing population, Stanley was founded.

Argentina constantly complained about the British occupation of the islands.

The United Nations finally considered analysing the situation in 1964. Argentina
based its request on the islands on three main issues: firstly, on the existence
of papal bulls from 1493 and modified by the Treaty of Tordesillas of 1494 by
which Spain and Portugal had divided the New World between themselves,
secondly on succession from Spain and last on the islands’ geographical
proximity to South America. Britain’s response to justify its claim was its

4
 continuous possession, occupation and administration of the islands since
1833.

In 1947, the Falkland Islands were listed at the United Nations as a Non-Self
Governing Territory subject to the United Nations decolonisation process.

In 1960 a United Nations Resolution granted the right to Self-Determination to

all peoples of the NSGTs.

In 1965, Argentine and British Governments were invited to negotiate a

peaceful solution to the sovereignty conflict, bringing the issue to international
attention for the first time.

Although a Communication Agreement was signed by both the Argentine and

British Governments as a result of the United Nation pressure, in April 1982
Argentina’s military government invaded the Falklands and all diplomatic
negotiations between the two nations were broken off. This event started the
Falkland Islands War.

3.3. Historical context in the 1980s.

3.3.1. The Argentine Dictatorship.

The 1980s in Argentina were marked by a series of tragic events that

started on March 29th, 1976, when President Isabel Perón was
deposed and Lieutenant General Jorge Rafael Videla took her place. A
three-man military junta closed the National Congress, imposed
censorship, banned trade unions, and brought the state and municipal
government under military control.

In the meanwhile, Videla initiated a campaign against suspected

dissidents. Clandestine detention camps were set up where thousands
of people were jailed, tortured, raped and murdered throughout the
country. The Argentine government, which maintained that it was
fighting a civil war, initially faced little public opposition, but with growing
violations of civil rights, this started to change in the late 1970s.

5
 In 1981 Argentina was still in the hands of the military dictatorship. It
was in this year that the first "Marchas de Resistencia" where Madres y
Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo claimed for Human Rights. (Annex 1: Image
2 - Madres y Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, Source: Madres de Plaza de Mayo,
43 años de lucha ininterrumpida. These marches became more and more
accentuated. So many repercussions caused that on October 30th the
massive "March for Life" was held where thousands of people protested
for their rights and a political opening.

3.3.2. The Iron Lady.

In May 1979, in the biggest swing to the right in Britain’s postwar history,
the Conservatives won the votes and Margaret Thatcher was the first
woman to become Prime Minister. Arriving at 10 Downing Street, her
first words were ‘I came to office with one deliberate intent, to change
Britain from a dependent to a self-reliant society, from a give-it-to-me to
a do-it-yourself nation’. (Remarks on becoming the Prime Minister:
Speech to Small Business Bureau Conference).
(Annex 2: image 3 - First day at work. Source: Margaret Thatcher At No 10
Downing Street, London, UK. 4th May, 1979.)

However, at the beginning of the decade, and after a few months in

power, even many Tories feared that their election might prove a
mistake. It was a specific social moment when unemployment headed
towards 3 million, racial and class tensions were brewing and Britain
lost a fifth of its manufacturing capacity. Even Thatchers’ advisors were
concerned that her impetus to curb inflation, sell off nationalized
industry and deregulate the economy was devastating the vulnerables,
ruining the middle class and encouraging chaos. But she insisted on
pressing forward with her policies despite economists’ concerns.

By 1982, the recession deepened and the Prime Minister achieved little
beyond tax cuts on income and increased indirect taxes. Although the
economy started to show signs of growth, the unemployment rate was
the highest since the 1930’s crisis and the Iron Lady, as the Russians
had nicknamed her, appeared as a weak leader, poorly supported even
within her own party.

6
 Her obsession with cutting public spending got Defence and Foreign
Affairs top of the list. Hong Kong was to be handed over to the Chinese
and the tiny colony of the Falkland Island was being negotiated with
Argentina by her Foreign Minister at the United Nations in New York. In
the meantime, the one naval vessel in its vicinity was to be withdrawn
back home. The consequence was the landing, in the harbour of Port
Stanley and under cover of the darkness, of 130 Argentine commandos.
The precipitated attack and subsequent invasion was in a way the result
of her style of rule and her policies.

3.4. On war.

While many thought that Thatcher failed to defend the islands from a surprise
attack, the truth is that Argentina brought forward its plan. In fact, a couple of
days before, evidence emerged of an impending invasion by the Argentinian
fleet but leaked news of its despatch merely speeded the process. By the
morning, the islands were no longer British, and Captain Barker of HMS
Endurance described the day as ‘humiliating’.

For Britain’s Prime Minister the news was devastating, she asked her friend
President Ronal Regan to actively intercede, but a drunk Galtieri on the other
side of the line was irreconcilable.

In Argentina, the people plunged into economic poverty, were harangued and
dragged to the Plaza de Mayo square, by the last drowning slap of the dictator,
who summoned the masses with his fiery speeches. People, fantasized by
blind nationalism, howled in fury and anxiety to send their young sons to war.

In Britain, the following day and during the meeting with the Commons,
something extraordinary happened. Coincidently with the absence of the
Defence Staff, the head of the Navy who was joining the meeting over the navy
cuts, said that he could sail to recapture the islands within 48 hours. Audacious
as it might have been considering such a distance, the Navy put to sea within
two days hoping for the Argentinian fleet to return to port immediately.

7
 In the meantime, the Falklands Governor had surrendered and British marines
were expelled from the islands. Thatcher couldn’t even dare promise the re-
establishment of British rule on the Falklands but merely mentioned British
administration of the islands pleading for support for the troops.

There was no return point. Argentinian bombs that landed on British ships had
faulty timers which allowed a British successful land campaign. The lift
helicopters were all lost when the Atlantic Conveyor was sunk and the British
landing was made without superiority. Argentina garrison the islands with
poorly trained conscripts and no attack helicopters. The sinking of General
Belgrano cruiser was a highly controversial decision (it was outside the war
zone). (Annex 2: Image 4 - Sinking of General Belgrano, 2 May, 1982. Source: Guerra
de Malvinas: Hoy se cumplen 38 años del hundimiento del Crucero ARA General
Belgrano).Three hundred and twenty three men died, nearly half of the
Argentinian deaths in the conflict, and around seven hundred more were
rescued from the sea. The event pushed the Argentinian battle fleet at sea
which included a carrier force armed with Exocet missiles to retreat to port.

On 14 June, the Argentinian garrison surrendered in Port Stanley, and British

victory was achieved.

A thousand men died in the conflict. (Annex 2: Image 5 - Argentine Cemetery in

Darwin Falkland Islands. Source:The cemetery of Darwin, ready to receive the relatives
of the Falkland Islands in the Falkland Islands)

The number of soldiers who took their own lives post-war is similar to the
number of combatants who died in action.

3.5. Uruguay’s position during the conflict.

The Falkland Islands War contradicted theories that democratic states did not
wage war with each other. As mentioned before in this research, when the
Argentine Republic started the military campaign, it was going through the final
stage of a dictatorial government, which was also the same situation in our
country.

8
 Both the development of the Falkland Islands war and its ending occurred in
parallel with the final stage of the Uruguayan civic-military dictatorship (1980-
1985). At that time, political parties were established as the main actors in
political life in our country. This moment of transition, which also brought about
the derogation of some political leaders and the signing of the Naval Club Pact
in June 1984, marked the beginning of a process of reconstruction of the
democratic and pluralist framework of the political system.

For the Uruguayan foreign policy, this war meant a moment of disturbing
relevance: two allies were fighting for the sovereignty of a territory which was
geographically very close, and whose inhabitants respected Uruguay greatly.
The threat to international peace pushed our country to put special emphasis
on the use of peaceful means as the only way to solve the conflict.

The active participation of Uruguay in humanitarian aid deserves to be

highlighted too. During the military conflict, our country demonstrated its
neutrality and adherence to international humanitarian law through the services
it provided (port and airport) for the transfer of prisoners, supplies (medicines,
food, spare parts), and hospitalization of the sick and wounded. These services
included the transfer of eighty eight British citizens (mostly soldiers), among
whom were the Governor of the Falklands and his family. Thirty more civilians
also took momentary refuge in Montevideo before heading to London.

In short, the position adopted by our country during the war was a reflection of
the Uruguayan desire to maintain good relations with everyone: neutrality,
support for the Argentine claim and humanitarian aid to both sides in the war.

3.6. Aftermath of the war.

3.6.1. Restoration of democracy in Argentina.

Democratic transition: 1982–1983.

The mission, known as the "dirty war," came about in the vanishing of
exactly 10,000 to 30,000 people during the years 1976–83.

9
Following a 1976 military overthrow that eliminated Maria Isabel Peron
from the presidency, the new military system started a mission of
serious constraint against political adversaries and chased the ones
denominated “terrorists and supporters”.

At first, worker's guilds and other likely central purposes of resistance

were cruelly subdued.

Nonetheless, in the late 1970s work gradually started to reassert its

voice. A key part in the rise of the protest movement was played by the
Madres de los Desaparecidos and other urban gatherings during the
1970s and mid 1980s. The annihilation of Argentina in the 1982
Falklands war additionally disintegrated uphold for the military and
prompted the development of municipal activism and dissent. The year
paving the way to the arrival of non military personnel rule saw the
reappearance of solid worker's guilds, more blunt business affiliations,
dynamic common freedoms and urban gatherings that effectively
composed dissent activities. In December 1982 a huge dissent was the
conclusive second, after which the military system authoritatively moved
to mark the calendar for new races. The rebuilding of appointive
legislative issues brought about the appointment of Raul Alfonsin as
President in December 1983 and the restoration of majority rule
organizations.

Since the arrival of the main rules system, Argentina has swayed
between snapshots of political and financial dependability and
development and times of emergency. Pressures have proceeded
between the military and regular citizen governments over the denials
of basic liberties during the military time, although no military
intervention has happened. Popular based establishments stay
defective in Argentina, however, the danger of returned military
guidelines shows up low. (Annex 2: Image 6 - Return to democracy. Source:
1983 Argentine general election).

10
3.6.2. Thatcherism in Great Britain.

The British victory in the South Atlantic was received as an

accomplished work. The military triumph left 255 men dead and a big
hole in billions of pounds in the defence ministry. The victory also meant
a huge impact on the Prime Minister’s public profile. It rescued
Thatcher’s leadership from a certain collapse turning her into a global
celebrity, both in the USA and in the Soviet Union, and a leader.
Confident and politically strong, she pressed ahead with her
programme of economic readjustments that later came to be known as
Thatcherism. The miners were confronted, she was leading over the
Labour Party, the patrician Tory moderates were diluted and eventually
driven from power, she took on the IRA and embarked on privatisation.
(Annex 2: Image 7 - Coming back home. The British Victory. Source: That time
two countries' Special Forces squared off in combat).

The Falklands also ended a period of post-imperial decline in British

foreign policy and during the 1990s Britain continued to spend a lot on
defence while began a series of “wars of choice” (Gulf War against Iraq,
Sierra Leona civil war).

3.6.3. Four ways the Falklands War changed the world.

The Falklands war was an event with enduring consequences on gender

politics, Latin American history and British industry.

● Without the Falklands War, Thatcherism would have been left behind.

Margaret Thatcher was about leaving before the intrusion of the

Falklands, The Tories had been following the SDP-Liberal Alliance in
the surveys and unemployment was soaring. Nobody anticipated that
she would govern again. But the effortlessness of the war –a winnable
clash against threatening unfamiliar fascism– gave public support for
the government. In the rapture which followed the triumph, the Tories
got back to the top of the assessments of public polls and won the
following year's overall political race by a surprising margin. Obviously,
the creation of the Alliance split the anti-Thatcher vote and helped her

11
 to victory, yet the war denoted a defining moment in the Iron Lady's
fortunes. Without it, she would not have had the option to rebuild the
nation.

● The Falklands War rushed the finish of the Argentine autocracy.

The lead-up to the war was exemplified by disobedience and political

moves in Buenos Aires. There was inescapable distress against the
military “junta”, which was going through critical exchanges of intensity,
and a financial emergency was pounding the Argentinean public.
Another junta under General Leopoldo Galtieri came into power in
December 1981. His chief of naval operations, Jorge Anaya,
contemplated Britain would not react to an intrusion – an end which
demonstrated confusion. While Argentina was indeed united in support
for the invasion, which temporarily boosted the regime's popularity, its
disastrous aftermath helped secure elections in 1983, returning the
country to a democratic government.

● The Falklands War changed the world's impression of female pioneers.

Anyone with basic information on history will be very much aware that
women can just be as violent and bloodthirsty as men. However,
observations don't generally curve to reported reality. For a great many
individuals around the globe, the Falklands was the first occasion when
they had seen a female chief handle a significant military clash.
Thatcher recuperated from the stun of the attack with a military
methodology which could undoubtedly have turned out badly,
particularly in the event that she had wavered. She faced the Americans,
who were conflicted between their devotion to two separate partners,
and she indicated a steely air in the profoundly dubious choice to sink
the Belgrano.

● Falkland Islanders’ life improved dramatically.

In 2013, the people from the Falkland Islands voted overwhelmingly in

favor of remaining a UK overseas territory. The dedication to staying

12
 British that the Falklanders show is repaid with ongoing protection and
the right to self-determination, as promised by London.

Relations between Britain and the islanders were not generally as

simple as they are currently. Prior to the intrusion, monetary progression
measures were solidified, as Whitehall made a special effort not to
intensify the relationship with Buenos Aires. A while later, it was
restarted, Britain put again in the islands and occupants were offered
British citizenship. Another constitution promising self-government was
passed in 1985.

3.7. The Falkland Islands today.

The Falklands is a cosmopolitan society with 2563 people -predominantly

British descent- from over 60 nations living permanently in the Islands (locally
called Kelpers).

The capital, Stanley is home to 2115 people and the rest is spread through the
numerous outer islands, connected with a road network linking remote
communities, along with an internal air service and inter-island ferry. There is
also an international port and airport.

In the past, the economy was based on high-quality wool production, although
since 1986 the Falkland economy has been dominated by the fishing industry.

The Falkland Islands are internally self-governed in partnership with British

sovereignty. All people over the age of 18 are free to stand for election. A new
Constitution for the Falkland Islands agreed by the UK Government and the
Islands Government, came into operation in January 2009. It enhances local
democracy while retaining sufficient powers for the UK Government to protect
UK interests and to ensure the overall good governance of the territory.

Members of the Legislative Assembly are democratically elected every 4 years

to determine and administer policies and legislation. The Assembly is
empowered to pass legislation for the peace, order and good governance of
the Falkland Islands, subject to the approval of the Queen, acting through her
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

13
 An Executive Council, chaired by the Governor and elected annually, meets
monthly, and is responsible for formulation of strategy and policy and for high
level management decisions, particularly external affairs and defence.

For as long as there is a perceived threat from Argentina, a military presence

on the Islands will be maintained. Beyond the cost of defence, the Falkland
Islands do not receive any further financial assistance from the United
Kingdom.

The following statement, published in the official web page, is a powerful and
relevant message that we should all respect:

“The Falkland Islanders are a peaceful, hard-working and resilient people. Our
society is thriving and forward-looking. All we ask is to be left in peace to choose
our own future, and responsibly develop our home for our children and
generations to come. We would ask that our rights, our points of view and
above all our wishes are respected and considered by all”. (Annex 2: Image 8 -
Port Stanley. Source: Port Stanley, captial of the | Stock Photo)

4. Interviews.

As previously mentioned, this research aims to collect memories and personal impressions
through recorded interviews -enclosed to this work- that will enable us to understand how
three individuals who were adolescents in 1982, perceived the political and social turmoil
that their country was experiencing, and to learn more about the effects it might have had
in their daily lives.

The interviewees are brothers, and they were born in Runcorn, England. One of them is
currently living in Uruguay and the other one in Cheshire, England. Due to the global
pandemic and geographical distances, the interviews were conducted through zoom
meetings.

4.1. Carl Craven.

He is 54 years old and he came to Uruguay 15 years ago for personal reasons. He
has a degree in Fine Arts from St Martin’s School of Arts in London. On leaving art

14
school in 1988 he went to Milan, Italy where he worked as an English teacher for
a couple of years. On returning to the UK, he turned to music where he became a
professional jazz guitarist and music teacher. He also composed music for various
theatre projects and spent some time in Japan. He describes himself as a typical
English person, rather reserved, quiet and introspective. He lives in El Pinar with
his Uruguayan wife, his 13-year-old son, and his extended family. (Annex 2: Image
9 - Carl at age 16 when he was a student).

Regarding the starting point of the war, Carl was fifteen or sixteen years old in
1982, he was studying his A levels -similar to our secondary school- and he
expressed he was going through a difficult time in the North of England, as his
parents were divorcing. This event marked him deeply and he cannot
remember very much about the beginning of the war since he was “emotionally
distracted”. The war did not have a massive impact on his family, but they were
aware of the situation.

Thirdly, we asked Carl about the memories he had of the conflict and he made
a reference to Patriotism. He showed apathy in relation to exacerbated
Patriotism arguing that it was a violent conflict and that Argentinian people
tended to react as real fanatics on anything.

The next question proposed was about the compulsion of the military service
in Great Britain at that time. Carl answered it was not compulsory, nor for him
or any of his brothers. He said he did not agree with compulsory service. He
also added that none of his relatives or people around him had to go to war.
Only a close friend joined the army when she was 21 but she had not gone to
fight, she was only in service in another war.
When being asked about the newspaper covers, about his memories of them,
he answered that he vaguely remembered them. He said he did not read
newspapers when he was sixteen.

Regarding the question about Margaret Thatcher, the Prime Minister of

England at that time, and the feeling of general discontent that later turned into
full support for her; Carl initial answer was that he did not recall any support for
her, but he later alluded that his vision could have been biased because he
came from a working class family. He claimed that Ms. Thatcher wanted people
to be independent and to encourage people to have their own careers and/ or

15
 work for themselves, but he emphasized that it was not easy due to the
economic situation, so people became more dependent instead. However, Carl
explains that he was too young at that moment and that he was paying more
attention to his personal situation (moving, job, etc.) rather than to the situation
happening in the Islands, therefore he believes there is much information and
details that he must have missed related to the war.

When Carl was asked if he was aware that there had been musicians and other
artists that had created songs or any other form of art based on this conflict,
mostly taking into account that he is a musician himself, he said that although
he knew there were songs related to social differences and hierarchies, he was
not aware they were specifically related to this war.

Another question was if he could relate any event in his life that could be linked
with any memory of this conflict. He found this question interesting and realised
that he watched some videos about the Falkland Islands now and found it a
beautiful interesting place to visit since it represents part of the British culture
but at the same time, it is quite independent. He recognises he loves his country
although he reckons not being a big fan of his culture, reason why he lives
comfortably in Uruguay. On the other hand, what he misses the most is the
British landscapes. In this sense, he would visit the Islands mostly for its
landscapes, and not necessarily for the British culture. Moreover, through these
videos, he realised many things related to Argentina he did not know.

Finally, Carl was asked if he had anything he would have liked to add, and he
made a sensitive reflection: for him, the Falklands was just a place, and he had
met some -not many- Argentinian people who took a position of asking to get
his Island back, being quite indignant, but he expressed that while it was true
that maybe the Falkland Islands were not really British, they were not
Argentinian either, and that they should accept that already. He had never
found fighting the way of solving any kind of disagreement.

4.2. Julie-Anne and Martin Craven.

Julie Anne (55) and Martin (56) live in Spital, Wirral, Merseyside, in the North
West of England. They have two kids, Holly and Taylor, both of them already
at the University, 2 dogs and 3 chickens. Martin is an undergraduate from

16
Cambridge University and he works as a team and business coach. Julie-Anne
is self-employed, she is a sports therapist and she also works part-time at a
large retail company. They also buy and renovate properties. They enjoy being
outdoors, exercising and being with family and friends.

In 1982, when the Falkland Islands war started, Martin was 18 years old, still
living with his father and stepmother in Runcorn, Cheshire, his hometown and
studying for his A levels at school. Julie-Anne was 16, nearly 17, and living with
her parents in Bebington, and studying for her A levels as well.

At the time, Martin didn’t even know where the Falklands Islands were located
and in fact, at the very beginning, he thought that the islands were just out of
the coast of England so he was shocked when he found out that there were
thousands of miles away. Initially, he remembered experiencing confusing
feelings as he couldn’t find a reason to fight over these small islands where no
one was living. The other thought that comes to mind was that back then, he
didn’t perceive Argentina to be very big and then not understanding why
Argentina would pick a fight with the UK; not only until he looked in the map he
found out that Argentina is actually bigger than the UK.

On the contrary, Julie-Anne was very aware of what was happening. She
comes from a working-class background and her grandfather, with whom she
had a very close relationship, had passed away no long after the war. He was
a very big influence on her when she was a child and he used to watch and
read everything about the war. As he had experienced WWII, he used to make
comments about thinking that he had never thought he would have seen
another war in his lifetime. However, similar to Martin, she was a bit confused
about the fact that everything was happening so far away, over such a tiny little
island and even it took so long to the British ships to get there. She believes
that her feelings were heavily influenced by his grandfather’s sense of
patriotism to protect and defend their land, their island because in fact that’s
exactly what their forces have always done in the first place. She also has
memories of having very strong and patriotic feelings for their military boys who
were defending their land. Not necessarily about war itself, because she had
never experienced it before so she didn’t even understand the full impact of it,
until it started to progress and then the soldiers were getting killed. The sinking

17
of the General Belgrano also had a deep impact, and it was then when she
started to feel aware of the outside world.

When we asked them about the impact the war had on their lives, both of them
mentioned the sinking of the General Belgrano as one of the most shocking
events. They had never seen anything like that before. Julie-Anne added that
the role of the media and the tv had a lot to do with this shared feeling as it was
extremely graphic. She described one particular image of a soldier coming out
of the beach and how this particular graphic scene turned him into a national
hero. Only when she became an adult, she could reflect on all these events
and question herself if all that was really necessary. From her point of view,
there should have been a way to communicate and solve those things but that
never happened.

Referring to the Military Service, they confirmed to us that it is not mandatory.

Julie-Anne’s grandad's view on the military service was that it was a good thing
for young men to do, he was quite a strong believer in it. He thought that it was
good to give young men a good start in life, it gave them discipline, purpose, a
sense of belonging to the country and also he thought that it would have
stopped a lot of crimes. Putting it into perspective, and seeing how young men
are, Julie-Anne actually thinks the idea is a good one to put into practice
nowadays. Martin also added that he had never felt to do military service and
that he had never had to do it anyway. As for women, they were not involved
in this conflict.

Martin did not directly know anybody involved in the war. Julie-Anne had an
uncle who was in the service, but he actually never went to war. Same as two
of her cousins, they never went to war either. The only person she knew who
in fact went to war, was a friend’s brother who died there.

When we showed them the covers of the newspapers, both of them recalled
having seen some. Martin particularly mentioned the headline “SUNK” but he
had not been aware of the “1042”, a direct reference to the casualties. The
other front-cover he remembered was the one with the V symbol. Julie-Anne
remembered The Sun, and the headline “IT’S WAR”, and the sinking of the
Belgrano was mentioned again too.

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There is an impasse at this point in the interview. Julie-Anne looked for the right
words to express that looking back on it, at the time she probably felt a little bit
ashamed of the media and how they dealt with the information. The media can
be pretty horrible and vile indeed, and that “we are amazing-we sunk the ship-
we are fantastic-we have the best army” attitude in fact was not considering
that it was about human lives and that all those men were killed. She said that
looking back at it now, she probably felt a bit ashamed at the fact that, along
with the rest of the country, there was a feeling of pride when in fact, there was
nothing to celebrate.

As for the Thatcher period, Martin said that he did not have memories of being
aware of the Prime Minister’s policies because he was a young lad and he was
not interested in politics, he did not read the newspapers nor watch TV and he
was too busy studying anyway. He remembered thinking simply that Thatcher
got the job done. He did not have an opinion about her until the war happened
and then it was just like a job done, sorted out, very quickly and back to normal.
However, Julie-Anne, coming from a working-class background, was very
aware of the general feeling of discontent. At the time a lot was happening,
Thatcher was very unpopular, especially in the North where she was closing
coal mines, lots of people were losing their livelihoods, it was affecting
communities, she remembered thinking that if there was no coal there to mine,
one could not keep them open and she also remembered thinking that it was
not a sustainable fuel, that it was necessary to move on to create something
else. Therefore, despite feeling deeply for all those people losing their jobs, it
was in fact a necessity. So, Thatcher was absolutely very unpopular in the north
of England but then the Falklands happened and within that short period of
time, she became a national hero. Julie-Anne specially mentioned one of her
speeches on the conflict saying: “it might seem like a tiny little island, but
tomorrow it might be here”. Julie-Anne remembered thinking that in fact, she
was not wrong, as England is a tiny little place in the whole world. She thought
about how vulnerable England was. On the one hand, a massive power, with
big forces, but on the other, also so vulnerable.

Thatcher also became a hero because she got the country reunited. The
country was divided before the war: while the south was the wealthy part, the
north was the working class, but she brought everybody together, because the

19
Falkland Islands war, was a war not for the south or the north, but for the whole
country. So, in a matter of weeks she became a hero.

Referring to music and arts that might have been inspired in this period, Martin
could only relate to Dire Straits and also vaguely remembered a Pink Floyd
track from the album Animals.

Julie-Anne was a big Dire Straits fan at the time, so she knew what the song
was about, but “selfishlessly”, when the war was over, as she was 17 or 18, her
recollection of music was just dance music and having a great time, so she was
not exactly into The Jam or Costello, or that type of music, she was more into
the 80s, pop music.

When we asked them if they could link any personal event to this conflict, Martin
replied that he was just doing his A levels, but Julie-Anne told us a strange
story. She used to hang out with a group of friends and one of them had a
brother who lost his life in the Falklands. He had enrolled in the army and he
was in the special forces, and he died there. One day, they were chatting in a
park and this friend told the group that they had found out all the details of his
brother’s death, talking about his brother as if he was a real hero and he
commented that when they had his body they found 12 human ears in his
pockets. Julie-Anne was obviously skeptical about the whole story. She could
never find out if this was true or just fiction.

For the last question, we gave Julie-Anne and Martin the opportunity to add
whatever they wanted to share with us but instead they wanted to ask us what
made us choose this topic. We explained to them in more detail why we were
doing this research and the methodology, commenting on the influence we
made on future generations when we describe historical events. Julie-Anne
added that this particular event was, not exactly forgotten, but put aside, like in
a box, not recalled in any way and she thought that that was probably because
there was nobody close to her, in her family or friends involved in the military
service in any way. However, not long ago, their daughter’s boyfriend joined
the Royal Navy and through conversations that they had had on his career,
these sort of things appeared, but probably before that, they practically had not
talked about the Falklands since they happened. Martin agreed the same, so
she mentioned that it was interesting to see how, if you have a family member

20
 involved in the military, then war would be a topic to be far more aware of, and
to discuss.

In retrospect, Martin commented that he was not even aware of how many
people died then, and he compared it to a past tragedy that took place in
Liverpool not many years ago when ninety-six fans died in a football stadium
disaster and that resonated. It was not just about the people that died, it was
the families, in that case it hit a huge portion of the Liverpool population Everton
and Liverpool. Thinking on the thousands of Argentinian people who died it is
shocking the amount of people that have been affected and for a long period
of time as well.

5. Conclusions.

In general terms, our original purpose was to analyze our interviewees testimonies in
a specific historical context. Their life stories are undoubtedly unique and chronicles of
direct observations of the events or the experiences that they describe to us. The
accuracy of the facts expressed, depends to a large degree on human memory, the
spoken word and naturally, the honesty of the interviewees.

One of our challenges as interviewers was to prepare the adequate questions in

advance to jog the memory and help put the interviewees at ease. It was important
that they felt comfortable because undoubtedly, we were going to talk about sensitive
matters or even painful ones to recall. Sometimes our memories could be indeed
upsetting when they resurface.

The other aspect we wanted to consider was to promote an interesting chat, hoping to
maintain a certain degree of intimacy along the conversation.

Based on the interviews we carried out for this research, we came to the conclusion
that the interviewees look at the events of this war as a tragedy, and as something that
most people thought would never happen.

Throughout the interviews, we could see their expressions and observe their body
language. However, the one that caught our attention the most was Julie-Anne’s critical
thoughts and the deep emotion in her words. She is very expressive and at some
moments she portrayed melancholy and helplessness in her gestures, for those who

21
have died futilely, just because they had to follow the mandate of a dictator who had
nothing but an interest to distract people from the atrocities and the crisis that the
country was suffering because of his regime.

In relation to the question about the newspaper' covers, we can also conclude that the
mass media had a very important role in this conflict but that did not seem to affect
teenagers at that time.

In other words, we would like to remark how important the testimonies of the
interviewees were to us. Even though we have access to all kinds of written materials
that narrate the events, having them telling us about their own experience was a
precious opportunity that gave us a completely different perspective of history. We can
only imagine how enriching it would have been to have interviewed an eye witness of
the events. We believe that the importance of oral history was demonstrated clearly to
us by carrying out these interviews, it provided an excellent opportunity to know a bit
more about an event that is still so recent and so vivid in the memories of those who
somehow lived it.

Getting close to the end of this work, we would like to add this extract from Paul
Ricouer:

“El pasado ya pasó, es algo de-terminado, no puede ser cambiado. El futuro, por el
contrario, es abierto, incierto, indeterminado. Lo que puede cambiar es el sentido de
ese pasado, sujeto a reinterpretaciones ancladas en la intencionalidad y en las
expectativas hacia ese futuro” (Ricoeur, 1999,p49)

To make a closure, and after finishing this experience, we must say we totally agree
with Jelin when she says: “(...)Se trata de estudiar los procesos y los actores que
intervienen en el trabajo de construcción y formalización de las memorias (…) De esta
forma, podemos decir que el pasado es un ‘sentido activo’” (Jelin, E.2002).

22
Bibliography and References:

● Bidegain, S., Wolff, M. (2019). La política exterior uruguaya ante la “Cuestión de las
Islas Malvinas (Falkland Islands)”. Un estudio descriptivo desde luego de la guerra
de 1982 hasta nuestros días. Universidad ORT Uruguay. Facultad de Administración
y Ciencias Sociales.

● Falkland Islands Government, (2020) retrieved from: https://www.falklands.gov.fk/

● Institute of Oral History, (2016), Introduction to Oral History , Baylor University

Institute for Oral History, Waco, Texas. Retrieved October 22th 2019 from:
Introduction to Oral History

● Jelin, E. (2002) - “Los trabajos de la memoria” Ediciones SXXI

● Ricoeur, P. 1999 “La Lectura del tiempo pasado - memoria y olvido” Editorial Athenea

● Ritchie, D. 2014 - Oxford University Press

● The Editors of BBC History Magazine (2020) The Falklands War Explained: Causes,
Timeline & Outcome, retrieved from: https://www.historyextra.com/period/20th-
century/falklands-war-history-facts-what-happened/

● The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, (2020), Falkland Islands War. Retrieved

October 22th 2019 from: Falkland Islands War | Summary & Facts

● The Editors of Margaret Thatcher Foundation, (2020) Speech to Small Business

Bureau Conference, Retrieved from:
https://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/105617

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 Annex 1

Interviews: proposed questions to Carl and Julie-Anne and Martin Craven.

(Recording of the Zoom video meetings enclosed)

1. Please, introduce yourself briefly (age, where do you live, family, occupation,
education, etc.).

2. In 1982, after unsuccessful diplomatic negotiations, England and Argentina went to

war over British territories in the South Atlantic over the control of the Falkland Islands (a
Crown colony since 1841). Could you please tell us, how old were you at that moment, where
were you living and what was your occupation?

3. As expected, the conflict had a deep effect both in Argentina and England, as a
teenager, do you remember what were your feelings at that moment?

4. Do you have any memories of the impact (if it existed) that this military conflict had on
your group of friends, or the young people of your generation?

5. At that moment, under the Argentinian system, military service was compulsory and
men as young as 18, 19 years old were sent to war. Poorly fed and lacking the minimum
necessary elements to cope with the cold weather of the South, the inexperienced soldiers
soon realized that they were sent to certain death.
What can you tell us about the military service in England? Is it mandatory? As a young man,
have you ever felt like enrolling? Was any of the persons in your group of friends or close to
you part of the National Service? Did you know any person involved in this war? If so, what
was his/her role in it?

6. The following are images of the front pages of some of the newspapers of that period.
Do you recall noticing them back then?

24
7. Margaret Thatcher was England’s Prime Minister and in the 80’s she was facing sharp
criticism from both her cabinet and the public due to her domestic policies, the high
unemployment or the declining manufacturing industry. Her role and quick response to the
conflict and final victory led to a surge in her popularity and subsequent reelection in 1983.

Do you have any memories of experiencing that feeling of general discontent that later turned
into full support for the Prime Minister?

8. As it often happens in every society, the arts are heavily influenced by political,
economic and social aspects, usually criticizing and questioning the reality. The Jam’s Town
Called Malice for example, was a clear portrait of the Thatcher’s era turned into a working-
class anthem, or the famous and very moving Elvis Costello’s Shipbuilding, released by Robert
Wyatt after the war. Dire Strait’s Brothers in Arms is also an anti-war song based on the
Falkland Islands war.

Do you remember any other song from that period making references to the war? Do you
know any other form of art based on this conflict?

The Jam - Town Called Malice (Official Video)

Elvis Costello - Shipbuilding

Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms

9. Can you relate any event in your life that could be linked with any memory of this
conflict?

10. Is there any other thing you would like to add or to share with us?

Interview with Carl Craven-

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19ITfNH25QAkhW7ZUuutfXbzNiRN3iygL/view?usp=sharing

Interview with Martin and Julie-Anne Craven-

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MAyXKew4Fk7zaj3BCBDh7yzhFh9u-jM-/view?usp=sharing

25
 Annex 2

Image 1: Falkland Islands location.

Source: General map of the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) (2000) - Falkland Islands (Malvinas)

Image 2: Plaza de Mayo

Source: Madres de Plaza de Mayo, 43 años de lucha ininterrumpida

26
 Image 3: First day at work.
Source: May 4, 1979: Margaret Thatcher becomes UK’s first woman prime minister

Image 4: Sinking of General Belgrano May 2, 1982.

Source: Guerra de Malvinas: Hoy se cumplen 38 años del hundimiento del Crucero ARA General
Belgrano

27
 Image 5: Argentine Cemetery in Darwin Falkland Islands.
Source: The cemetery of Darwin, ready to receive the relatives of the Falkland Islands in the Falkland
Islands

Image 6: Argentine return to democracy, December 1983.

Source: 1983 Argentine general election

28
 Image 7: The British victory.
Source: That time two countries' Special Forces squared off in combat

Image 8: The Falkland Islands today.

Source: Port Stanley, captial of the | Stock Photo

29
 Image 9 - Carl at 16.

Image 10 - Martin and Carl (at the back) with their stepmother and younger sister (at the front) in
Runcorn, England, in the 1980s

30