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Graeme-Golightly

A veteran interview with

Graeme Golightly

Graeme Golightly was an eighteen year old Royal Marine Commando when the Falklands Conflict started.

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About Graeme Golightly

Graeme Golightly attended a merchant navy boarding school before passing the Royal Marines entrance tests at sixteen. He was proud to complete the gruelling thirty-week training, one of fourteen to pass from a group of fifty-two. Posted to 40 Commando in Plymouth, he was deployed to the Falklands with Bravo Company and despite hopes for diplomacy, recalls the poignant moment the company prepared for war and secured Port San Carlos, stepping into freezing water weighed down with heavy kit and ammunition.

Graeme remembers hearing there were white flags flying over Stanley and being tasked to take the surrender of the Argentinean military force. He went on to serve in Northern Ireland until illness ended his frontline role, moving to a desk position before transitioning to civilian life. Graeme remained deeply proud of his green beret, the perspective gained through service, and the lifelong camaraderie of the Royal Marines family.

Credits

Interviewed by:
Rebecca Fleckney
Reviewed by:
Vicky Barnes

Transcripts:
Please note that transcripts and closed captions in the video player are automatically generated by Vimeo.

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Home | Veterans | Graeme Golightly

A veteran interview with

Graeme Golightly

Graeme-Golightly

Graeme Golightly was an eighteen year old Royal Marine Commando when the Falklands Conflict started.

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Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Golightly, Graeme. A Veteran Interview with Graeme Golightly. Interview by Rebecca Fleckney. Legasee, 22 Jun. 2012 https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/graham-golightly/. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
APA Style:
Golightly, G. (2012, June 22). A Veteran Interview with Graeme Golightly [Interview by Rebecca Fleckney]. Legasee. Retrieved February 14, 2026, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/graham-golightly/
Chicago Style:
Golightly, Graeme. 2012. A Veteran Interview with Graeme Golightly. Interview by Rebecca Fleckney. Legasee, June 22. Accessed February 14, 2026. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/graham-golightly/
Harvard Style:
Golightly, G. (2012). A Veteran Interview with Graeme Golightly. [Interviewed by Rebecca Fleckney]. Legasee, 22 June. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/graham-golightly/ (Accessed: 14 February 2026)
Vancouver Style:
Golightly, G. A Veteran Interview with Graeme Golightly [Internet]. Interview by R. Fleckney. Legasee; 2012 Jun 22 [cited 2026 Feb 14]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/graham-golightly/
An interview with

Pam Torrens

Pam talks about her time in the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS) and her experiences identifying German codes.

Pam Torrens was born in Southampton from a lineage of sailors and fishermen and so without question joined a sea faring service in the war.  She joined the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS) aged eighteen and was made a chief petty officer after six months. Pam describes her Wren training and the testing of her German language skills. Beginning at Mill Hill, and then transferring to a special unit called Southfields, she learnt how to use radio frequencies to detect E-Boats, and interpret the codes used by Germans. She was sent to Station X, unaware at the time that this was Bletchley Park. Here she listened to codes and would phone them through to the local naval intelligence centre. Later sent to work in intelligence centres herself, she describes the windy Abbots Cliff where she listened to messages about the Bismarck, learning morse code at Hemsby, and being stationed at Ventnor during D-Day. She later volunteered to go to Hamburg Germany to interpret captured documents for the navy. Reflected throughout is Pam’s enjoyment of being in the Wrens, but also the tough circumstances and reality of not being able to divulge information about code breaking to her family after signing the Official Secrets Act. She remained hopeful her important work was impactful to the war effort.
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker