MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Documenting the May 1982 Vulcan air raid.

Rowland White was just eleven years old when the Falklands War was fought, however the events of 1982 clearly made an impression upon him as, twenty-two years later, he is now writing a book about the Royal Air Force's first bombing raid on Stanley Airport.

Mr White, a publisher with Penguin Books by day, says that as a school boy, the war on the other side of the world was tremendously exciting and he followed it day by day. Combined with a self-confessed lifelong interest in aviation he has chosen to write a book about the Vulcan bombers air raid on Stanley airport on May 1, 1982. As part of his research, he was in the Falklands for a five day visit last week.

Mr White describes the book as, "...the story of a month," concentrating mainly on the period between April 2 and May 1, 1982.

"There's some build up to April 2, including the reasons for the invasion in that period when South Georgia was occupied, when scrap metal merchants first arrived. "I'm talking about the behind-the-scenes debates at White Hall and at the same time talking about what the aircrews were doing then; they obviously had no idea what was just around the corner. "It's also what the mood was in the Falklands as well - that feeling that something was impending..."

The author says the May 1 raid was important for a number of reasons: "The fact this was the biggest RAF offensive operation since the Second World War and we hadn't really seen anything like it for a long, long time. "It also was a very interesting period for the RAF in that at the time the officers running the service - Chief of Air Staff, the Commander of the Air Campaign - had all served in the Second World War so their roots were there. "Then of course, of the crews which took part, some of them went on to fly in the first Gulf War. It straddled this very interesting in time, a changeover, of World War Two techniques and technology and satellites, global position and laser guns." White says, "It was an incredible effort..."

In his research, the author has spoken to "...everybody who was flying Vulcans who is still alive to talk to," including John Reeve, Martin Withers and their crews from the two Vulcans which took off on April 30 to fly the raid.

"There were six people on board each aircraft and I've spoken to all of them who are still alive. I've also spoken to a number of the Victor crews who supported those Vulcan missions. In many ways it was a Victor raid with Vulcans on the end of it. There were twelve or thirteen Victors involved just getting one Vulcan to Stanley and so their story is just as important as the Vulcan crews."

Higher up, Mr White has spoken to the Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Sir Michael Beetham, the Air Chief Marshal, Sir John Curtis, and base commanders at Waddington and Mareham.

He says that in an effort to, "...get as many different perspectives on the story as possible and establish as accurate a consensus as I possibly can," he chose to visit the Falklands personally. "I wanted to get the Falklands side of the story. The story doesn't exist in isolation; it's simply an account of events for airplane obsessive unless one draws attention to why it is so important that it took place." He says this was "driven home really powerfully" when he spoke to people in Stanley about "...just how traumatic having your country invaded is." "It's very difficult when you don't have experience of that, to have any real understanding of how ghastly and unsettling and angering it is. I got that very powerfully from talking to people; a real sense of the intensity with which they regarded the Argentine occupiers and invaders..."

Mr White spoke to a variety of people, "...from different walks of life, different ages, all of whom were in Stanley at the time." "I've got lots of different perspectives but that shock and trauma was something which was common to all of them. Without a sense of that, the story of the mission is a cold and sterile one, so that's why it was important to visit." "I'll be writing for six months or so now. I am anticipating it being published in time for Christmas next year..."

The May 1 raid was so extraordinary it was included in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest offensive mission in aerial warfare history.

Mr. White says his trip to the Falklands was valuable to his book, particularly a visit to Stanley airport: "...to actually see the one or two craters that still exist, patches on the runway, and talking to everyone will make a much, much richer and complete book." (Penguin News).-