I have just finished reading Through Fire & Water by Mark Higgitt. It tells the story of the frigate HMS Ardent and her Ships Company during the Falklands War from the viewpoint of those who were serving aboard her at the time and also the families back in the UK. At the time she was commanded by Alan West who was the youngest Commanding Officer in the Fleet and viewed as a rising star at the time - and considering he rose to be First Sea Lord he lived up to that billing!
Of all the British forces in the Falklands War none of them suffered more men killed than HMS Ardent.
It begins with the months leading up to the conflict when HMS Ardent visited Amsterdam and then Narvik and continues through the journey south, the air attacks and sinking and on to their journey home on first the Canberra and then the QE2. It then brings the story up to date (2001, when the book was published) and gives an account of the struggles some of the crew have undergone in the years following the war, again in their own words. Many spent years feeling the guilt of a decision they made in the heat of trying to save their ship that sent someone else to their death, only for the research for this book showing that it wasn't the case at all and helping those troubled individuals through a tough time.
As well as telling the story from the sailor's and families viewpoint, it also covers the men who flew the aircraft that attacked her.
A very good, and also sad, book giving first person accounts of how the war was for those serving on the ships. One I would recommend.
Of all the British forces in the Falklands War none of them suffered more men killed than HMS Ardent.
It begins with the months leading up to the conflict when HMS Ardent visited Amsterdam and then Narvik and continues through the journey south, the air attacks and sinking and on to their journey home on first the Canberra and then the QE2. It then brings the story up to date (2001, when the book was published) and gives an account of the struggles some of the crew have undergone in the years following the war, again in their own words. Many spent years feeling the guilt of a decision they made in the heat of trying to save their ship that sent someone else to their death, only for the research for this book showing that it wasn't the case at all and helping those troubled individuals through a tough time.
As well as telling the story from the sailor's and families viewpoint, it also covers the men who flew the aircraft that attacked her.
A very good, and also sad, book giving first person accounts of how the war was for those serving on the ships. One I would recommend.
Comment