FALKLANDS war veterans are invited to create a local history project to mark the 40th anniversary of the conflict.

The project looks to use the experiences, stories and images of Falkands war veterans from St Helens to produce a permanent historical archive in the town.

Created by the St Helens Veterans’ Forum and supported by St Helens Borough Council, the project is looking to gather the memories, letters and photographs of local Armed Forces and Merchant Navy veterans who served in the 1982 Task Force.

Saturday, April 2 will mark the 40th anniversary of the start of the Falklands war, after Argentine forces invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic Ocean, in 1982.

A Task Force was formed to liberate the islands, which consisted of 25,948 UK Armed Forces personnel, and around 3,000 civilian crew from the Merchant Navy, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and Chinese civilian crew.

The conflict lasted 74 days, during which 649 Argentine military personnel, 255 British military personnel, and three Falkland Islanders died.

Argentine forces surrendered on 14 June 1982, a date that has since been known in the Falkland Islands as ‘Liberation Day’.

Falklands veteran Terry Bates, who served in the Royal Navy and with the Royal Marines, is leading the Falkland 40 project, collaborating with the council’s Library Archive Service and Armed Forces Covenant Support Officer.

Terry said: “We want to produce a special historical archive of local Task Force veterans, recording the history of the campaign through our eyes; how we got there, what we experienced, how we returned and what it meant for our families.

“We aim to generate greater awareness to the service that you and your colleagues provided during the South Atlantic campaign, and we value any contribution you are able to make to allow us to commemorate its 40th anniversary.”

St Helens Borough Council’s Armed Forces Champion, Councillor Lynn Clarke added: “The council is honoured to once again have an opportunity to support our veteran community. This project will enable members of the Armed Forces Community to share their personal histories and family experiences to be recorded for future generations.”

Veterans are encouraged to support the archive project with any physical documents like letters, photographs, and newspaper cuttings.

Digital copies of these documents can be uploaded here