Imperial War Museum North
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The Falklands War resulted from the first invasion and occupation of British territory since the Second World War. On 2 April 1982 Argentine forces overwhelmed the Royal Marine garrison in Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands. The retaking by British forces of these islands, along with South Georgia, was codenamed Operation Corporate. 252 British and 655 Argentine servicemen died, as did 3 islanders.
The exhibition includes powerful images by both British and Argentine servicemen who all have etched on their faces the effort and exhaustion of fighting in a desolate landscape a long way from home. Including both “official” photographs and soldiers’ snapshots, a number of the photographs were taken by unknown Argentine soldiers and were confiscated from them by Royal Marine intelligence officers after they had been taken prisoner during the last days of the conflict. Both colour and black and white, the photographs were taken between April and June 1982.
In conjunction with Imperial War Museum North’s focus on people’s stories and the message that war shapes lives, most of the powerful images on display were taken by photographers who were experiencing genuine combat for the first time. Inexperienced as they all were, the resulting images are not mere propaganda but also reflect the personal experience of those involved.
The photographs in A Long Way From Home have been digitally restored by Imperial War Museum’s Photograph Archive to ensure that for the first time in many years the images can be seen as the photographers’ originally intended. After the chaos of conflict, new research by the Archive has also identified for the first time correct photographer credits and the accurate context in which the images were taken.
The exhibition will be accompanied by an online interactive timeline from May at www.iwm.org.uk/falklandswar, which will reflect The Falklands exhibition at Imperial War Museum London. It will include the personal stories and memorabilia of those involved from politicians to service personnel, Falkland Islanders to war widows and artists to journalists.
On Display In The Main Exhibition Space
Visitors to A Long Way From Home will also be able to see items relating to the Falklands conflict in the Main Exhibition Space. In the Impressions of War silo visitors can compare infamous front pages from The Sun alongside Argentinian magazines. News footage also on display reveals how during the Falklands conflict the British government used the lessons learned from Vietnam to try to control reporting. Only a small number of selected reporters were allowed to accompany the British Task Force. What they reported was strictly controlled. Other items on display include letters describing the sinking of HMS Sheffield and, from April, a facsimile of the Instrument of Surrender of the Argentine Forces.
ACCOMPANYING TALKS AND EVENTS – ADMISSION FREE
The Falklands Talks
These special evening talks are a joint venture with the Centre for International Security and War Studies of the University of Salford and take place in the Learning Studio at 6pm.
Monday 19 March: The Battle of Falkland Sound: protecting the Landings in San Carlos
With Admiral Sir Alan West GCB DSC RN, Former First Sea Lord and commanding officer of HMS Ardent.
Friday 20 April: The Red and Green Life Machine: Battlefield Surgery in the Falklands
With Surgeon Captain Rick Jolly RN.
Tuesday 15 May: Four Weeks in May – HMS Coventry in the Falklands War
This final evening talk in the series is presented by Captain David Hart-Dyke RN.
Studio Talk: The Falklands Legacy
Sunday 8 July, Learning Studio, 2.00pm
Andy Farrell examines political and psychological legacies of the Falklands conflict in this illustrated lecture, supported by archive and veteran material. Andy Farrell, who served during the Falklands conflict, is a playwright and arts practitioner in the North West
25th ANNIVERSARY ACTIVITIES AT OTHER IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM BRANCHES
The Falklands
Imperial War Museum London, May 2007
A special exhibition told through the experiences and personal memorabilia of those involved from politicians and Service personnel to Falklands Islanders and war widows. An accompanying online exhibition will also be created for the website. Exhibition adviser: Military historian and Falklands veteran, Major General Julian Thompson.
Press Contact: Victoria Main, IWM London, 020 7416 5497, vmain@iwm.org.uk
Eyewitness Falklands
HMS Belfast, June – December 2007
A temporary exhibition of photographs chosen by a number of participants who have each been asked to select their defining image of the war.
Press contact: Janice Wilson, HMS Belfast, 020 7940 6320, jwilson@iwm.org.uk
Falklands exhibits and Air Show of England. Recent winner of a Silver Award for Visitor Attraction of the Year 2004 at the Excellence in England Awards, and recipient of a Special Commendation (second-only to First Prize) in the European Museum of the Year Awards 2004, the Museum has recently been a finalist in the prestigious RIBA Stirling Award and was awarded Large Visitor Attraction of The Year 2006 in the North West Tourism Awards.
Imperial War Museum
The national museum of the experiences of people who have lived, fought and died in conflicts involving Britain and the Commonwealth since 1914.
The Imperial War Museum is the museum of everyone’s story: the history of modern war and people’s experience of war and wartime life in Britain and the Commonwealth. It is an educational and historical institution responsible for archives, collections and sites of outstanding national importance.
The Museum’s five branches include Imperial War Museum London which houses the award-winning Holocaust Exhibition; the Second World War cruiser HMS Belfast; the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms, housed in Churchill’s secret headquarters below Whitehall; Imperial War Museum Duxford, a world-renowned aviation and heritage complex, and Imperial War Museum North, one of the most talked-about new Museums in the UK.
Imperial War Museum Duxford
Exhibits on display at Duxford include a Royal Air Force Harrier that flew many missions from HMS Hermes during the conflict; a rare, captured Argentinian Pucara ground attack aircraft; and other types of aircraft used in the Falklands campaign such as the Victor, Canberra and Vulcan.
Duxford’s Air Show on 20 May 2007 will incorporate a tribute to the Falklands War.
Press contact: Tracey Woods, IWM Duxford, 01223 499320, twoods@iwm.org.uk
Imperial War Museum's Photograph Archive
Containing over six million images, the Photograph Archive is an enormously rich source of material on the two world wars and beyond. For more information click here http://collections.iwm.org.uk/server/show/nav.00g005