John and Gary Griffiths were only children when they learned the news that their father, Welsh Guardsman Gareth Griffiths, had been killed aboard the RFA Sir Galahad.

At the time of the Falklands War, John and Gary had been living with their mum, Janice, in Cardiff, but a year after the conflict ended, the family moved to Ross-on-Wye.

48 British soldiers lost their lives on June 8th 1982, when the Argentine Air Force attacked the RFA Sir Galahad, as members of the Welsh Guards had been preparing disembark at Bluff Cove, Fitzroy.

31-year-old Gareth Griffiths was posted as missing, presumed dead, following the attack on June 8th. He had been a very proud Welshman, who loved rugby and cherished his family.

“He was the star of the party.” John said. “Always smiling, always laughing.”

Gareth had met Janice, who was to become his wife and the mother of his children, when he was stationed in Münster, Germany. Janice was from Cardiff, and started being his penpal, through a scheme which kept the Welsh Guardsmen in touch with the outside world.

The couple fell in love and got married in 1972, and John was born a year later. Gary came along in 1980.

John was nine years old when Gareth was killed, and Gary was only two. John remembers quite a lot about their dad, such as how he taught him to ride a bike, among all the usual things fathers do with their sons.

One memory John treasures in particular was when his mum was about seven months pregnant with Gary. Gareth had taken them for a ride in a staff car, but he had gone a little too quickly over a hump-back bridge, which John thought was a lot of fun, but Janice had not enjoyed it quite so much.

John added that he has lots of memories going to see his dad in the barracks, and although Gareth went away many times with the Welsh Guards, completing numerous tours in Northern Ireland and Cyprus, they had been a happy family.

Gary was a little too young to remember much about their dad, which is difficult for him. “All I want is to remember his face or his voice,” he commented.

But Gary did go to the Falklands with Janice when he was very small, when the Benevolent Fund paid for spouses to visit the islands. As Gary was a toddler, he was too young for his mum to leave him, and he does have memories of that visit.

In the first few days after Gareth died, John recalls that there was “quite a bit of chaos.”

The bombing of the RFA Sir Galahad had been reported on the news, and though John and Janice knew that there had been Welsh Guards on board, they did not know if Gareth was one of them. The family had to wait for a few days, and endure a media blackout before an officer knocked on their door, and told them that Gareth had been killed.

During this time, John, Gary and Janice had been living with Janice’s mum. Her sister also lived nearby, so the closely-knit family helped each other come to terms with the news.

After the conflict had ended, the family re-located to Ross-on-Wye in 1983. John started at Ashfield Park Primary School that September, and Gary joined the school some years later. The boys have made some good friends, and both eventually progressed on to John Kyrle High School, and they both still live in the area today.

Gary has a four year old daughter, Myah, and John has an 11 month old son, whom he named Gareth, in honour of his dad.

Both John and Gary have been out to the Falklands Islands to see the place where their father died, the memorial at Bluff Clove. It was here that John and Gary were able to say goodbye to their father and lay their ghosts to rest.

Gary commented that when they have met the Falkland Islanders, they have welcomed the brothers with open arms, and have expressed gratitude to the British Soldiers who fought for their freedom.

Currently, SAMA 82 indulgence flights sponsor veterans to go to the Falklands, which is helpful as flights to the Falklands can cost several thousand pounds, but John told the Ross Gazette: “We feel this needs to be extended to widows and dependants to be able to remember their fallen husband, father, brother et cetera.”