Brian Short is a former member of the Band of The Royal Marines. His father was killed in Suez 2 months before brian was born. He was only 22.
At 15½ Brian joined the Band of the Royal Marines. He undertook basic military training and went to the Royal Marine School of Music in Deal. Following his training he was deployed to the band.
Brian took part in the Royal Tournament and lived above Olympia. He served on the Ark Royal and was a participant in the television series Sailor.
In 1982 Brian and his band mates were informed that they would be going to the Falkland’s. He travelled to the port and boarded the Canberra. They were completely unaware of what was taking place in the South Atlantic.
Brian describes his trip including the boarding of a Monkey at Sierra Leonne during a battering session with local traders.
By the time the Canberra had arrived in the Falklands it had been fitted with 26 machine guns.
21st May 1982 is a day Brian will always remember. A helicopter landed on the deck and Brian was summoned with his colleagues to assist and in the helicopter were the bodies of 3 marines and an air crew man. The body of Sgt Andy Evans was amongst the dead and he was known personally to Brian and the Argentinians became his enemy.
Brian describes the moment the bodies of the marines were committed to the sea during the burial.
He also describes the moment a marine fell from a landing craft from HMS Fearless. This was the last image of Foxtrot 4 before it was sunk by Argentinian forces.
Following the liberation of the Falkland the Canberra was used to transport Argentinian Prisoners of War back to Buenos Aires. During the sailing Brian was presented with a signed thank you card made from a menu.
Brian decided that he needed to put the memoirs of the Falklands war into writing. He took a year to write “ The Band That Went to War”.
The description of arriving back to the UK is enlightening and emotional!
Following the War brian continued his service. He is promoted and became an instructor at the Royal Marine School of music in Deal. In 1989 the IRA detonated a device that killed 11 and injured 22.
In 1991 Brian joined Kent Police. He found the transition relatively easy. He enjoyed his time in the police and concluded his time as a constable. Brian maintains his love of music and his passion for the Band of The Royal Marines.
Listen to his brilliant story.
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