QuoteOf the thousands of British soldiers, sailors and airmen who fought in the Falklands War of 1982 no one attracted more attention than the helicopter pilot who happened to be second in line to the British throne.
Many presumed that Prince Andrew would be given a role that kept him out of harm's way and it later emerged that some members of the Cabinet had pushed for him to be given a desk job during the conflict but Andrew - and the Queen - insisted he serve on the front line.
The Daily Express front page of June 19 - five days after the Argentine surrender of the islands - revealed just how hair-raising that experience turned out to be. It described how the royal had risked his life by acting as a decoy to lure Exocet missiles away from the vessels of the British Task Force.
"He flew a Navy helicopter close behind the carrier Invincible as Argentine jets screamed into the attack," reported the Daily Express's Robert McGowan from the Falklands capital Port Stanley. "His nerve-wracking job was to make the missiles swerve towards the helicopter instead of the ship."
More: Historic Daily Express Prince Andrew Falklands war 1982 edition | History | News | Daily Express (http://www.express.co.uk/news/history/516577/Prince-Andrew-Falklands-war-historic-pullout)
Cindy
Remember the war and the news reports, but it is interesting to reread them again after (gulp) 30 years.
:thanks: Cindy! Enjoyed this article!
You're welcome, Limabeany. :) I love that they had pictures of the actual letters.
Cindy