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Songs helped combat boredom of island life

3/ 4/2007

IN THE years leading up to the Falklands War, a posting to the islands in the South Atlantic could prove quite idyllic as former Royal Marine Phil Davis remembers.

Phil, who lives in Todmorden Road, Littleborough, has started writing a book about his escapades as part of Royal Marines Naval Party 8901.

For the last few years he has been organising annual reunions at the Sun Inn, Littleborough, attended by a dozen or so former comrades from all over the country.

Phil was based on the Falklands with 30 or so other marines in 1974-75. To say that there wasn't an awful lot to do was an understatement.

To combat the boredom and preserve their sanity, Phil and three of his comrades in arms formed a folk group.

He said: "We used to go out in a boat and perform concerts on the various islands and we even did sessions on the local radio station."

Among the other duties the marines performed were providing training for the Falkland Islands defence force, made up of local islanders and caring for a man in hospital in Port Stanley, whose iron lung was being repaired in Britain.

Eight of Phil's comrades ended up marrying local girls, much to the dismay of the local men.

Phil has recently cut a CD with some folk songs, including one about the servicemen who served during the Falklands War called The Belfast Dodgers.