'A truly gripping historical document' Niall Ferguson

28-year-old Chris Parry was one of a helicopter crew of four when war broke out in the Falklands in 1982. He was quickly in the thick of the action when they had to land a party of SAS men on Fortuna Glacier in appalling conditions and then had to go back the following day to pick them up again when it became clear the men could not survive in such hostile weather - an action which almost proved a disaster as two helicopters crashed leaving Parry and his crew to get the men off alone in their dangerously overloaded plane. The action got even hotter a few days later as Parry and his crew went in pursuit of an Argentinian submarine lurking around South Georgia. Later still they went on to take part in the landings at San Carlos and experience the intensity of Bomb Alley.

For ten weeks, from the outbreak of hostilities to the Argentinian surrender, Parry kept a daily diary which recounts in extraordinarily vivid detail the action at sea and in the air, as well as daily life on board ship. There are moments of high drama but also sombre reflections and occasional high jinks, as well as a wonderful array of characters. Published for the first time in 2012, Down South offers an unforgettable account of naval and helicopter action during the Falklands War.