Mac's Story | Erskine Veterans Charity

He joined the crew of HMS Antrim, a County-class destroyer, as a gunner. The ship was scheduled to head out to the open Atlantic after a five day visit to Gibraltar. What actually happened was something very different.

On 30^th March 1982 the HMS Antrim and its crew of around 450, was headed to the Falkland Islands where they were the first ship to arrive. What followed were weeks of conflict in horrific conditions. As the flagship destroyer for the recapture of South Georgia HMS Antrim was involved many incidents. Their Westland Helicopter rescued 16 SAS men from the Fortuna Glacier after two previous helicopter rescues had ended in crashes. They played a key role in the disabling of the Santa Fe Argentinean submarine as well as managing to remove a 1000lb bomb which had crashed through the Antrim’s flight deck putting the ship and its crew in grave danger.

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I was young and stupid and knew no fear.

By mid-June it was all over and Mac was on his way home. He stayed in the Navy for another seven years retraining to be a medic, becoming one of the first paramedics in the Navy. On leaving the Navy he joined the Scottish Ambulance Service working there for many years before moving on to a role for the United Nations. Following an illness in 2019 Mac has made Erskine Edinburgh his permanent home.