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74 Days: An Islander's Diary of the Falklands Occupation
74 DAYS - AN ISLANDER'S DIARY OF THE FALJKLANDS OCCUPATION by JOHN SMITH. 0712603611 - 255 page softback book (21cm x 15cm - 568gram).
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
255 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1984
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 19, 2021
I purchased a copy of this book before I left the Falkland Islands. Decided to read the diary as the events unfolded so I started 1st April with news of the imminent invasion announced on the radio.
Reading the diary daily kept the Falkland Islands in my mind as we moved towards Liberation day.
I knew many of the places that were mentioned helping me to picture the events and better understand what the Islanders went through.
As you would expect this is a very British account with copious amounts of tea consumed! John Smith writes with sympathy for the suffering of the Argentine soldiers recognising that we are all human, war is not as simple as good versus bad.
I would recommend to anyone who would like to know more about the history of the Falklands.
Reading the diary daily kept the Falkland Islands in my mind as we moved towards Liberation day.
I knew many of the places that were mentioned helping me to picture the events and better understand what the Islanders went through.
As you would expect this is a very British account with copious amounts of tea consumed! John Smith writes with sympathy for the suffering of the Argentine soldiers recognising that we are all human, war is not as simple as good versus bad.
I would recommend to anyone who would like to know more about the history of the Falklands.
March 1, 2023
Having moved to the Falklands myself in January, I've felt the need to explore more about the 1982 conflict and what happened. Not being very military minded, for me the real story is in the people's accounts, their diaries, their memories and their loved experiences.
John Smith writes so effortlessly and well. I find myself reading his diary excerpts and forgetting I'm reading a book and not there in the makeshift bunker under the house with him and his family living through the war raging outside.
I think it's testament to John's character and writing ability that at points I even felt empathy for the Argentinian soldiers who were outside on the streets of Stanley, hungry, let down by their government, wet and cold and wanting to go home. John paints an honest picture of the situation, sad for all people involved and offers such an honest perspective. Knowing the streets in Stanley in person meant I could quite literally picture the Argentines walking these streets, pitching up in the church wet through sat shoulder to shoulder with the local people of Stanley who despite everything kept brace faces and carried on regardless. What true British sentiment.
I loved the funny and heartwarming stories within, of people who pulled together during such crisis, and fought back with such a British humour in ways such as pretending all their land rovers had broken down, and riding their bikes right through the middle of their parade grounds. At the heart of this is the people, children and old alike who faced such worry and horror on their tiny streets 8000 miles away from Britain but stayed loyal and hopeful that their mother country would come to rescue them.
I need to find more of John Smith's works, and I would love to meet the man himself if our paths happen to cross in wonderful Stanley.
5 stars without a doubt.
John Smith writes so effortlessly and well. I find myself reading his diary excerpts and forgetting I'm reading a book and not there in the makeshift bunker under the house with him and his family living through the war raging outside.
I think it's testament to John's character and writing ability that at points I even felt empathy for the Argentinian soldiers who were outside on the streets of Stanley, hungry, let down by their government, wet and cold and wanting to go home. John paints an honest picture of the situation, sad for all people involved and offers such an honest perspective. Knowing the streets in Stanley in person meant I could quite literally picture the Argentines walking these streets, pitching up in the church wet through sat shoulder to shoulder with the local people of Stanley who despite everything kept brace faces and carried on regardless. What true British sentiment.
I loved the funny and heartwarming stories within, of people who pulled together during such crisis, and fought back with such a British humour in ways such as pretending all their land rovers had broken down, and riding their bikes right through the middle of their parade grounds. At the heart of this is the people, children and old alike who faced such worry and horror on their tiny streets 8000 miles away from Britain but stayed loyal and hopeful that their mother country would come to rescue them.
I need to find more of John Smith's works, and I would love to meet the man himself if our paths happen to cross in wonderful Stanley.
5 stars without a doubt.
July 16, 2021
Enjoyable oral record of the brief period when the Falklands were occupied by Argentina. I came out of this book with a lot of sympathy for the Argentinian conscripts. The invasion was obviously completely out of line, of course, but I had no idea of the rough conditions that the soldiers (many of whom were literal teenagers) were forced into by General Galiteri. It makes the high body count of the war much more tragic when you realise that most of the deaths were terrified young men who were literally forced to fight a much better equipped military, for such a stupid reason. The Argentinians spent more time trying to bribe the (tiny) native population into accepting their rule through free televisions instead of actually feeding their troops.
Also I'm amazed that the author managed to keep such a detailed diary through such a rough period. The diary only covers a period of a few weeks, but it took me several days of casual reading to get through it - some the entries are several pages long. There's also some interesting photos from during and after the occupation at the end of the book, showing the devastation the war brought to Stanley, and some extracts from Argentinian propaganda that are worth reading.
Also I'm amazed that the author managed to keep such a detailed diary through such a rough period. The diary only covers a period of a few weeks, but it took me several days of casual reading to get through it - some the entries are several pages long. There's also some interesting photos from during and after the occupation at the end of the book, showing the devastation the war brought to Stanley, and some extracts from Argentinian propaganda that are worth reading.
December 3, 2024
Es un diario de un civil viviendo una guerra, es duro, pero no extremo, es bastante equidistante aunque tiene ciertos tonos sarcásticos y por momentos (y entiendo que esté atravesado por el tema) se vuelve muy militar y poco civil. Le faltan sensaciones de él, de su familia, de miedo, de tristeza, de hastío; el narrador, por momentos, parece estar fuera de la escena y solo observar.
Un gran logro es que, como lector, sentís el alivio del fin de la guerra, creo que apoyado también con el material fotográfico.
Un gran logro es que, como lector, sentís el alivio del fin de la guerra, creo que apoyado también con el material fotográfico.
October 26, 2019
Picked this up in a second hand bookshop in Australia. Have been wanting to read more about the Falklands War - this was a fascinating introduction from a civilian writer.
August 8, 2021
Brilliant Falkland Islander's account of the conflict.
February 17, 2022
Interesting to be able to read a civilians perspective of a war. Powerfully moving.
May 24, 2010
I found this online, and was pretty lucky to have done so -- this book tends to be pretty costly here in the U.S.
Like the title says, it's a first-hand diary account of someone who was in Stanley during the entire 74 days of the Argentine occupation of the Falklands. I've read other books on the Falklands, but they were from the impersonal and distant viewpoint of journalists. This book was written by someone who was there. It provides an excellent British perspective on those tumultuous days.
Like the title says, it's a first-hand diary account of someone who was in Stanley during the entire 74 days of the Argentine occupation of the Falklands. I've read other books on the Falklands, but they were from the impersonal and distant viewpoint of journalists. This book was written by someone who was there. It provides an excellent British perspective on those tumultuous days.
October 27, 2025
I started yesterday and will finish today. I find it to be a real page turner! Plan visit to Falklands in Oct so thought it would be good to learn something about the brief war. I have learned that and so much more. Now I’m looking for my next book about the Falklands. This has really wetted my appetite to learn more about the amazingly stoic, self-reliant people of the islands.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews