Falklands War Poetry by Bernie Bruen

Bernie Bruen was commander of an eighteen man team of bomb-disposal divers in the Falklands War. These poems and notes constitute a record and tribute to the the outstanding courage and achievements of these men. Bernie Bruen is concerned that  his team should receive the official recognition that it clearly deserves - hence the reference to "forgotten men"


Author's introduction


The war memorial at Stanley in the Falkland Islands has engraved upon it the names of all the UK military units that took part in the Conflict. From Ships and Squadrons to Regiments and Special Forces, all are represented - even down to the Field Post Office Unit and the Catering Corps. It is interesting to note that, despite a twenty year campaign to have their presence in the conflict recorded, FLEET CLEARANCE DIVING TEAM 3 has yet to be included. This is particularly surprising in view of the fact that 66% of its members received gallantry awards. This is by far the highest percentage achievement of any unit involved and an enviable record for such a small team of Bomb-disposal Divers - the Royal Navy's own and largely unsung Special Forces. The eighteen-man team amassed between them: one Distinguished Service Cross, one Distinguished Service Medal, four Mentions in Dispatches and six Commander-in-Chief's Commendations for Brave Conduct.


From the moment of their appearance in the combat zone, the Team was in the thick of it. Immediately after HMS ANTELOPE was sunk (the day the Team arrived), nine of them began the long and arduous task of removing dangerous explosives from her upper-deck and reducing the height of the wreck. This essential work continued, despite the many air-raids that were occurring, to allow freedom of manoeuvre for the rest of the landing force. Simultaneously the second half of the Team was removing live, unexploded bombs from RFAs SIR GALAHAD and SIR LANCELOT, thus saving those ships and returning them to vital service. After the loss of ANTELOPE, it had been decreed that bombs should not be defuzed but lifted out 'still alive and kicking'. It was these two incidents that won the Divers their bravery awards.
FCDT3 was based at the Red Beach Hospital where, in their spare time, they taught themselves to be nurses - a skill much in demand after the Buff Cove incident when the casualty unit was overwhelmed with badly burned survivors. Among those treated by the Divers was the now celebrated soldier - Simon Weston; although he was too much in extremis to register the fact. When the Hospital was bombed, the Team was responsible for building the vast sand-bag wall between the operating theatre and the unexploded bombs to protect patients and staff from the imminent danger of explosions. By moving their messdeck into the void space left between the blast-wall and the theatre, they not only eased the accommodation problem but also gave the Red Beach people added confidence in the efficacy of the bulwark.


The Buff Cove incident saw a small Element of FCDT3 as the first men to board both TRISTRAM and GALAHAD (again) after the attack. Having extinguished what fires they could and checked the ships for UXBs, they then explosively removed the stern ramp of TRISTRAM to allow vital ammunition to be saved and sent to the bombarding guns around Stanley - and all this while fires raged and explosions rumbled deep in the hold of GALAHAD.
Finally, the same Element was responsible for recovering a sea-mine in a gale off Stanley, beaching it and, with minimal equipment (they had not been allowed to bring with them the specialist tools from UK), de-fusing it by hand - the first unknown, enemy mine to be rendered safe since the Korean War.
Three weeks after the surrender, the Team returned quietly to UK having suffered no casualties. Within a month, two of its members had been killed - innocent victims of other people's bad driving.


In order to put the record straight and give the 'Forgotten Men' the recognition they deserve, Fleet Clearance Diving Team 3's story has been told by its Commanding Officer, Bernie Bruen, in his book 'Keep Your Head Down' (Parapress 1993, Book Guild 1998); and yet twenty five years later, they remain forgotten and unsung. They are not even mentioned in the Government's official war history, recently published.
Perhaps these poems will give an insight into the quiet, yet fraught world of the Clearance Diver at work in that most significant of all conflicts. Read Bernies poetry HERE

Fleet Clearance Diving Team 3 may have been overlooked by our elected leaders and I am appalled that they have not been officially recognized for their outstanding bravery, but from myself Thank You, we know what you did.