On this day - Falklands

Argentine air attacks from Super Etendard fighter planes using Exocet air to surface missiles sink the British destroyer HMS Sheffield with twenty men on board. One British Harrier plane is shot down.

The mood is solemn, we expected it but it is still a shock. We all know that being in the armed forces means death and mutilation are an occupational hazard, but we still have a sense of duty and rather bizarrely a desire to put our training to the test. It is obvious that some people are starting to feel the strain of the delay and the thought of going to war harder than others.

Above all this though is a real belief that we are doing the right thing and we can't back down. Maggie is revered for her stance and their is a growing contempt for the appeasers.