Nigel Woods
I was serving on HMS Ardent and the motto of the ship
was ‘through fire and water’. On 19 April 1982, HMS
Ardent sailed from Devonport, Plymouth for the Falkland
Islands. On route, we escorted ships that had left late
with stores, equipment and army personnel on their way
to the Ascension Islands. Most of our time was spent on
defence watches. These consisted of six hours on and
six hours off. We had to open the NAAFI shop over the
watch changes, for half an hour each side of the watch
change.
We arrived at the Ascension Islands on 3 May 1982, where we stayed for 3 days. Whilst we
were there, NAAFI sent all ships a signal saying that we had a chance to get off the ships and fly home from the Ascension Islands if we wanted. I don’t believe any of the NAAFI staff onboard any of the ships took up this offer.
The ship sailed on the morning of the 7 May 1982. On that morning, my Canteen Manager John Leake, who was an ex-Marine, had a practice on the GPMG. He came up to me in the canteen afterwards saying that they wanted him to become the GPMG Gunner from now onwards. He said it was up to me, as I would have to take his place in the sickbay as the casualty coordinator. Luckily, I had done the job before so I said ok go for it! My original action station was in the canteen doing boundary cooling for the galley. So seeing a way out, I said ok.
We had a few scares on the way down to the Falklands but they turned out to be only whales. Soon we heard the news that we were dreading. An Exocet missile had hit HMS Sheffield and we knew hen that there was no turning back.
At 0001 on the 21 May 1982, HMS Ardent was the first ship at high speed to go into the Falklands, sound an hour in front of the British amphibious force to retake the Falklands. Everything was going well that day. We had a few scares, like bombs just missing us. Then about two hours before darkness the first bombs hit us and from then on casualties were coming into the sickbay.
The smoke from the hangar was getting too thick outside the sickbay, so we were told to move. We moved our casualties into the wardroom and then another raid came in, followed by another. Bombs hit us again and again throwing us up about 6 inches with us then landing in a heap on the deck. By this time I finally had the names of some of the casualties. I phoned up the Ops Deck so that the Captain knew about them. Then they said we were abandoning ship and to immediately make our way to the upper deck to get off. We got the casualties on the upper deck and saw that HMS Yarmouth had come alongside us and were waiting for the ships company to jump across. From where we were we had about 10 feet to jump so we got the injured off first and then I jumped, it seemed like ages until somebody caught me. I had one look back at the flight deck of HMS Ardent and it was in a real mess.
They then took us down below and that was the last time I saw HMS Ardent. As we were being taken to the Canberra there was another air raid warning red. Everybody said not again, but it was only them going home so we were alright.
We arrived at the Ascension Islands on 3 May 1982, where we stayed for 3 days. Whilst we
were there, NAAFI sent all ships a signal saying that we had a chance to get off the ships and fly home from the Ascension Islands if we wanted. I don’t believe any of the NAAFI staff onboard any of the ships took up this offer.
The ship sailed on the morning of the 7 May 1982. On that morning, my Canteen Manager John Leake, who was an ex-Marine, had a practice on the GPMG. He came up to me in the canteen afterwards saying that they wanted him to become the GPMG Gunner from now onwards. He said it was up to me, as I would have to take his place in the sickbay as the casualty coordinator. Luckily, I had done the job before so I said ok go for it! My original action station was in the canteen doing boundary cooling for the galley. So seeing a way out, I said ok.
We had a few scares on the way down to the Falklands but they turned out to be only whales. Soon we heard the news that we were dreading. An Exocet missile had hit HMS Sheffield and we knew hen that there was no turning back.
At 0001 on the 21 May 1982, HMS Ardent was the first ship at high speed to go into the Falklands, sound an hour in front of the British amphibious force to retake the Falklands. Everything was going well that day. We had a few scares, like bombs just missing us. Then about two hours before darkness the first bombs hit us and from then on casualties were coming into the sickbay.
The smoke from the hangar was getting too thick outside the sickbay, so we were told to move. We moved our casualties into the wardroom and then another raid came in, followed by another. Bombs hit us again and again throwing us up about 6 inches with us then landing in a heap on the deck. By this time I finally had the names of some of the casualties. I phoned up the Ops Deck so that the Captain knew about them. Then they said we were abandoning ship and to immediately make our way to the upper deck to get off. We got the casualties on the upper deck and saw that HMS Yarmouth had come alongside us and were waiting for the ships company to jump across. From where we were we had about 10 feet to jump so we got the injured off first and then I jumped, it seemed like ages until somebody caught me. I had one look back at the flight deck of HMS Ardent and it was in a real mess.
They then took us down below and that was the last time I saw HMS Ardent. As we were being taken to the Canberra there was another air raid warning red. Everybody said not again, but it was only them going home so we were alright.
When we got to the Canberra, the soldiers that were
going off the ship that night were clapping us on
because they knew what we had done and that was to stop
their aircraft from attacking the landing parties. On
that day HMS Ardent was hit 17 times in 22 minutes and
lost 22 of her ships company and many more were
injured.
On board the Canberra, they took us to a room where they split us into pairs and gave us our cabins. I got paired up with a very good friend of mine who was in the boys brigade with me and only joined HMS Ardent a year before we went to the Falklands. We found our cabin and then at 2000hrs, we were told to get our dinner and to meet in one of the bars at 2100hrs. That was the first thing I had to eat since 0800hrs that morning. We then went to the bar and the captain was waiting for us where he told us how we did that day and what we did.
Then came the moment that everybody was dreading. He read out the names of those who were missing and there was not one person in that room who was not crying when he had finished. Later that night the signal came through that the Canberra was to get the remainder of the stores she had left onboard ashore and sail from the Falklands to South Georgia Well they made a pipe for all p and o personnel to muster to destore before sailing and most of the ardent crew turned up as well those who could anyway. It took us about a day to destore the rest of the stores and the Captain of the Canberra thanked us for helping his crew after what we had been through and it would have taken them a lot longer if we had not helped.
We then sailed from the Falklands to South Georgia and we were given jobs to do. I was in the laundry on the washing machines until the muscles in my back went and I was put on light duties. They thought it was an injury I sustained on the ardent but it wasn’t. On the way to South Georgia, we had a service of remembrance in one of the cinemas and every seat was taken.
When we arrived in South Georgia, we were transferred to the QE2. Before we got there we could here a bag piper playing. When we arrived at the QE2, we had the same reception as we did getting on to the Canberra by the soldiers being transferred from the QE2 to the Canberra.
We managed to get to our cabins and get settled, then the ships companies of HMS Antelope and Coventry arrived onboard. We then sailed from South Georgia to come home. On the way home someone told me that I was very lucky because there was not much left of the canteen where I was supposed to have been. It hit me - I just started crying and couldn’t stop for at least a couple of hours. I do not class my self as a hero, I class my self as one of the lucky ones that came home. The heroes are the ones that did not come back.
When arrived at Southampton, it was unbelievable how many people turned up to see us back. When I met up with my family the emotions came back again. We had three weeks survivors leave back then and I have lost count the amount of functions I went too.
Nigel Woods served as Ardent's NAAFI canteen
assistant and played a valuable part in the sickbay
during Ardent's Falkland War. He still serves at sea as
part of the NAAFI service and is a member of the
association.
On board the Canberra, they took us to a room where they split us into pairs and gave us our cabins. I got paired up with a very good friend of mine who was in the boys brigade with me and only joined HMS Ardent a year before we went to the Falklands. We found our cabin and then at 2000hrs, we were told to get our dinner and to meet in one of the bars at 2100hrs. That was the first thing I had to eat since 0800hrs that morning. We then went to the bar and the captain was waiting for us where he told us how we did that day and what we did.
Then came the moment that everybody was dreading. He read out the names of those who were missing and there was not one person in that room who was not crying when he had finished. Later that night the signal came through that the Canberra was to get the remainder of the stores she had left onboard ashore and sail from the Falklands to South Georgia Well they made a pipe for all p and o personnel to muster to destore before sailing and most of the ardent crew turned up as well those who could anyway. It took us about a day to destore the rest of the stores and the Captain of the Canberra thanked us for helping his crew after what we had been through and it would have taken them a lot longer if we had not helped.
We then sailed from the Falklands to South Georgia and we were given jobs to do. I was in the laundry on the washing machines until the muscles in my back went and I was put on light duties. They thought it was an injury I sustained on the ardent but it wasn’t. On the way to South Georgia, we had a service of remembrance in one of the cinemas and every seat was taken.
When we arrived in South Georgia, we were transferred to the QE2. Before we got there we could here a bag piper playing. When we arrived at the QE2, we had the same reception as we did getting on to the Canberra by the soldiers being transferred from the QE2 to the Canberra.
We managed to get to our cabins and get settled, then the ships companies of HMS Antelope and Coventry arrived onboard. We then sailed from South Georgia to come home. On the way home someone told me that I was very lucky because there was not much left of the canteen where I was supposed to have been. It hit me - I just started crying and couldn’t stop for at least a couple of hours. I do not class my self as a hero, I class my self as one of the lucky ones that came home. The heroes are the ones that did not come back.
When arrived at Southampton, it was unbelievable how many people turned up to see us back. When I met up with my family the emotions came back again. We had three weeks survivors leave back then and I have lost count the amount of functions I went too.