WAR veterans returned to Rosyth Dockyard on Saturday to mark the 40th anniversary of the Falklands conflict.

Babcock invited along 50 people to the commemorative service, including former staff, Royal Navy personnel, armed forces veterans and local community representatives. The Royal Marine Band played, a plaque was revealed and an exhibit of artefacts, photographs and memories of the conflict was on display at the event.

Sean Donaldson, managing director at Babcock Rosyth, said: “This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Falklands conflict. Rosyth Dockyard employees played an important role in the national effort, supporting some of the fleet at the outbreak of the conflict, including the conversion of five trawlers into minesweepers.

“The Rosyth event is one of a number of commemorative events Babcock is proudly supporting throughout the UK this year.”

In attendance at the service was Alf Ramsay, production engineer at Rosyth Dockyard. He said: "During the Falklands conflict I was working in Bay 5 at the dockyard, just a stone’s throw from where I am currently working to help deliver the Royal Navy’s new Type 31 Inspiration class frigates, full circle in 40 years!"

He recalled: “When ships returned to Rosyth from the Falkland Islands, including HMS Plymouth, the entire yard was down at the South Arm to cheer them back in.”

In 1982, the Cold War plan to use deep sea trawlers in the conflict was called into play and five ships made their way to Rosyth to be refitted for action.

Brigadier Andy Muddiman ,ADC Royal Marines, Naval Regional Commander Scotland and Northern Ireland, said: “It’s very gratifying to see, as we begin the Falklands 40th anniversary period here in Scotland, that we are quite rightly focussing on the significant efforts of our colleagues who worked in Rosyth Dockyard at the time.

"It was down to their efforts, and those of other dockyard personnel around the country, that Britain was able to achieve such a huge undertaking.

“To refit and, in some cases, completely outfit from scratch a number of merchant ships, in just a few days, for a purpose they hadn’t been designed for, to then sail some 8,000 miles and operate as part of a quickly-created Task Force within a war zone, was an incredible task.

"As much as it was the soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen who fought the war, they couldn’t have done that without the extremely important preparation.”