Keith Thompson spent 268 days at sea aboard the vessel MV Norland during the Falklands Conflict - a time in his service he will never forget.
The Norland was a North Sea ferry that took passengers and vehicles between Hull and Rotterdam - until 1982 when it was requisitioned by the Royal Navy and was tasked to take the 2nd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment to the Falkland Islands.
All of the Norland’s Merchant Navy crew were volunteers and one of them was Assistant Purser Keith Thompson.
A lot of its time was spent in ‘Bomb Alley’, which was the stretch of water at San Carlos that came under repeated Argentine air attacks.
“It has been well recognised that the Norland was a workhorse down there and we totalled 66,700 miles and 268 days at sea,” said Keith.
"We got to the Ascension Islands when we were told that we'd be going in to take the regiment into a battle at San Carlos Bay.
"We were given a will form to sign and one phone call home because once we left the Ascension Islands, we weren’t allowed any contact with our families."
The Norland was the first ship to enter San Carlos and the crew had been given clear instructions if they hit a mine.
“We were to ram the ship ashore to ensure the safe disembarkation of the 2nd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment,” said Keith.
The Norland and its crew managed to deliver the regiment safely onto the beaches, but the mission came at a cost.
“The hardest part for me was when the paras went they left a big cage with all of their private belongings on board, but when 2 Para came back to collect them, I just saw one case left, then two cases left," he said.
“I just realised then that those people had died, killed in action.
"That's when reality hits you – seeing somebody's belongings there who shook your hand to say goodbye, and then they didn't come back.
"It was heart-wrenching, it really was."
Keith is immensely proud of his ship and those who he served with and stresses the importance of taking the time to remember those who didn’t make it home.
"I'm very proud of it and the people I served with," he said.
"I have a memorial in Hull Minster dedicated to the Norland, the crew and the whole task force. "Sometimes it still lives with me and the reason it lives with me is that I ask myself... how the hell did we do it?
"Three thousand meals a day, 62 days, all the bombing, all the casualties coming on board and going off, all the prisoners of war going up and down, up and down.
"You wonder how the hell you did it, but we did.
"It's really important that we do remember all those people who actually sailed on our vessels and never came home."
To support Falklands veterans like Keith, the Veterans’ Lottery offers a way to give back to those who sacrificed so much.
Their stories of courage and perseverance continue to inspire, ensuring that the memory of their service lives on.
