Today, Thursday, June 8th 2017 marks the 35th anniversary since the RFA Sir Galahad was bombed by Argentine forces in the Falklands War.

The ship was hit while preparing to unload soldiers from the Welsh Guards in Port Pleasant. RFA Sir Galahad was hit by two or three bombs and set alight. A total of 48 soldiers, 32 of them Welsh Guards, and crewman were killed in the explosions and subsequent fire.

In last week’s edition of the Ross Gazette, there were two articles, telling the stories of two Welsh Guards, Colin Parsons and Gareth Griffiths, who were killed in the attack. This week, David Bambrough, a Falklands veteran who was a member of the Welsh Guards, has shared his story.

David Bambrough was born in Solihull, but moved to Goodrich as a child, where he attended the Primary School. He was 25 years old when he fought in the Falklands War with the Welsh Guards.

David joined the Welsh Guards in 1971, when he was 16, as he was desperate to finish at Ross County Secondary School. He went in as a boy solider, and trained for four years. He was dispatched overseas in Berlin, Ireland and Cyprus. By 1982, he had been promoted to Lance Sergent, the equivalent of a Full Corporal.

He told the Ross Gazette that he was one of the lucky ones, on the night the RFA Sir Galahad was bombed, he was not on the ship, as he had been sent ashore with some other members of his Regiment that night. They had been sent to the front line to help to form a base around the bay and hills.

But David added that while he and his team were on a hill, they were looking forward towards Bluff Cove when the bombs were dropped, and they witnessed the Sir Galahad go up in flames. They knew that there many of their brothers in arms still on the boat, but there was nothing they could do to help. The order was given to march on, and so they had to go forward.

David returned home to England, just in time for his 26th birthday. He was met at Brize Norton by a coach load of his relatives and friends, including his mum and dad - Mr and Mrs O Kirby, his fiancee, Janet (née Powell), his brother and three sisters. They were there on the tarmac to greet him as the DC10 he was on landed.

David finished with the Welsh Guards in 1983, and married Janet in 1984. The couple have since moved to Longtown, Pontrilas, near Eywas Harold.

He added that he tries to go to Cardiff as often as he can, to visit the Welsh Guards memorial in the city. Once year when he made the trip, the memorial was covered in seagull poo, so he scrubbed it all off.

David returned to the Falkland Islands in 2013, on a trip organised by the The South Atlantic Medal Association 1982 (SAMA 82). He went with four others from the same company to visit the places they fought at.

He added that the Islanders welcomed the veterans with open arms, and when they visited the pubs in the evening, everyone wanted to know who they were and hear their stories.

David told the Gazette that he thought the British Legion have done a good thing by organising the Commemoration for the Falklands War, which took place on Sunday, June 4th, as he feels that the Falklands Conflict is a "forgotten war".