A terminally ill war veteran from Wirral is fighting for his former enemy to be recognised by their country. Edward Denmark, from Moreton, fought in The Falklands War of 1982 and has since befriended Argentinians who have yet to be recognised by their government for their role in the conflict. Edward is campaigning for them to be recognised, with key evidence now submitted to Congress.
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During the short yet bloody war between Great Britain and Argentina, Edward Denmark served as a rapier gunner — tasked with the mission of shooting down Argentine aircraft. He went on to serve in Northern Ireland before becoming a published author and peace advocate, whilst now suffering from blood cancer.
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One of Edward’s books, Not For Queen And Country, led to interest from Argentina and this opened up dialogue between Edward and his former combatants via social media. Through this, Edward became good friends with Julio Herrera Vidal who was guarding the mainland airbases in Argentina during the war.
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These conversations with Julio revealed a shocking scandal to Edward — that more than 10,000 Argentinians who were guarding the airbases, mostly conscripts, had still not been recognised as veterans by their government. These men were forced to put their life on the line for their country yet still to this day have not been granted veterans status, healthcare or pensions.
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Understanding first hand the vital role the Argentine airbases played in the conflict, and also that British Special Forces at the time were launching attacks on the mainland soldiers, Edward was outraged by the news. He has since been on a mission to help his brothers in arms achieve the recognition they deserve.
Edward said: “These men on mainland Patagonia who were under threat of attack were prepared to die for their country, yet they have not received veteran status, healthcare or pensions. Meanwhile, British soldiers who were based tens of thousands of miles away have. It’s a grave injustice and after becoming friends with these men I wanted to help fight for their cause.”
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In January 2020, he visited Argentina alongside La Vida Liverpool journalist, Justin Hopper. The pair met with Julio Herrera Vidal and vast amounts of media coverage took place — from local newspapers and radio to appearing on the biggest news channels in Argentina such as TN News and FOX News. Edward even appealed to President Fernandez on national television yet it all fell on deaf ears.
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The visit was emotional and built many bridges between the former enemies, with some special moments between Edward and the Argentinians, although it was fruitless in terms of justice. Back in the UK, Edward and Justin visited the Argentine Embassy in London to reach out to their Defence Attache — an act that was not received well and once again proved to be fruitless in terms of any form of negotiation.
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In 2022, for the 40th anniversary of the conflict, Julio visited the UK to meet with British veterans. This visit strengthened relationships furthermore — resulting in a number of high profile British military figures step forward to support the unrecognised Argentinians. This included British Special Forces personnel, who have issued statements to confirm they were sent to kill those who were guarding the mainland airbases.
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This evidence has recently been handed to Congress in Argentina — with the aim of proving that the lives of the forgotten men were indeed under threat, therefore they should be classed as veterans by their country. Unfortunately, the longer the campaign continues the more Argentinians die unrecognised — many of whom have faced great hardship without help from their government.
Edward summarised: “We’ve submitted an affidavit. This is an official document from key UK military personnel that confirms that their men guarding the mainland were indeed under threat and attack in the war — therefore they should be recognised as veterans. We don’t know if this will be acknowledged — if not, we will contact human rights lawyers. One thing for sure is I will fight for them to my last dying breath.”
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One thing that has come from the campaign is the newly found friendship between two former enemies. Now standing together in solidarity by an injustice, veterans on both sides have become united — yet another example of how illogical war is. Whilst the fight for recognition continues, it is one small battle won by the human spirit — proving that enemies can indeed become great friends.
For more information visit the Forgotten Men Of The Falklands / Malvinas War FACEBOOK PAGE!
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