Falklands War veteran visits Yorkshire Air Museum in York

Royal Navy Falklands War veteran Bernie Gould dropped in at the Yorkshire Air Museum in Elvington on Saturday to be reunited with the same Lynx helicopter he worked on during the conflict and which is now at the heart of the museum’s Falklands Air War Exhibition.

Saturday (May 21) was the 40th anniversary of the day when his ship – HMS Argonaut – was hit by two bombs dropped by Argentine aircraft.

Argonaut was badly damaged in the attack and had to be initially towed away from the scene by HMS Plymouth, but she did eventually make it back to the UK under her own steam.

Bernie was a senior maintenance rating in 1982, eventually becoming a Chief Petty Officer with 815 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm. He retired from the Navy in 1986 and now lives in Northampton. He worked on XZ233 and when his squadron flew out from the Royal Naval Air Station at Yeovilton in Somerset to join their ship in the Channel, as it was being deployed to the Falklands, he was on board the helicopter, flying directly over his own house and waving down at his family.

On the anniversary of the attack that claimed the lives of two of his shipmates, he’s paid a visit to the Yorkshire Air Museum with his family and has been able to see inside ‘Jason’, the Argonaut’s Lynx, which he worked on.

“Jason” the Lynx helicopter which is now part of the Falklands exhibition at the Yorkshire Air Museum in Elvington

Bernie said: “It’s lovely to see her (the Lynx). She’s been very well restored and it’s nice to see you’re looking after her.

“Those two lads who died were very young – one wasn’t even out of his teens, so it is quite emotional today. But I’m glad I came up to see the helicopter. It does actually bring back a lot of happy memories, even with what happened during the Falklands. I’m glad I came.”

The helicopter has been loaned to the Yorkshire Air Museum by Jet Art Aviation of Selby who have restored it immaculately. It forms part of the Falklands Air War exhibition that has been running at the Yorkshire Air Museum since April 2.

Falklands Air War looks at what it took for Britain to mount an aerial campaign 8,000 miles from home, as it fought to reclaim the islands from invasion by Argentine forces.

The exhibition is a collaboration with the war studies department at York St John University, where the Falklands conflict is taught as part of the curriculum.

There are displays examining the tactics used in the air war, the lessons learned and after-effects of the British victory.

There are examples of aircraft and weapons used, including an iconic Harrier jump-jet, and a Mirage fighter as well as the Falklands-veteran Lynx helicopter.

Outside, there are Falklands Air War information boards in front of some of our other aircraft: the Victor and the Nimrod both had key support roles in the Black Buck raids, while the Canberra has the distinction of being used by both sides in the conflict.

Falklands Air War is on now and runs until the summer.

To find out more go to yorkshireairmuseum.org or call 01904 608 595 the museum is open everyday from 10am – 4pm with last admission one hour before closing.