3 April 2007
Tony Blair visited HMS Liverpool at Rosyth to honour nine veterans from across Scotland who fought in the Falkland Islands.
During his visit, which came on the 25th anniversary of the Argentine invasion, the PM presented the service personnel with their Armed Forces Veterans Badges and paid tribute to those who lost their lives during the conflict.
Mr Blair told reporters:
“I think we should sometimes just remember that we lost in the Falklands some 250 or more of the armed forces.
“And when we put that in context and we think of the losses in Afghanistan and Iraq which are actually less than that - we know just what a tremendous sacrifice and commitment those people made.
“And it was a very very tough endeavour for everybody. They were fighting in some of the most difficult circumstances. It took a lot of courage and a lot of commitment.”
The PM and First Minister Jack McConnell were given a tour of the ship, visited the control centre, and met Royal Navy and civilian shipyard staff to discuss the work at Rosyth.
They also observed a demonstration of current naval firefighting and damage control techniques, many of which were adapted and developed from lessons learnt during the Falklands conflict.
- See some images from the visit
- Falklands 25 (opens in new window)
- Watch a film about the PM’s recent visit to HMS Albion
HMS Liverpool returned from a six-month deployment to the South Atlantic in July 2006, having protected and supported the UK’s interests in West Africa, the Falkland Islands and South America.
The MOD has announced that the Type 42 destroyer HMS Gloucester is to undergo improvements and essential maintenance at Rosyth.
The contract, worth in the region of £6M, will see HMS Gloucester berth at Rosyth until December 2007.
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