The Falklands War A Visual Diary by Linda Kitson

The Falklands War A Visual Diary

The Official War Artist

by Linda Kitson

Mitchell Beazley Publishers, 1982, illustrations/reproductions throughout, oversized paperback, ISBN 0855334576

Very Good Condition, some edge and shelf wear, uncreased spine

'Linda Kitson was the only official war artist attached to the British Task Force, and she was able to remain with the troops not only for the duration of the war itself, but also for the immediate aftermath.
Commissioned by the Imperial War Museum and the Fleet Air Arm, she left Southampton on May 12.  And from that moment until July 17 she drew continuously, producing over 400 drawings.
Her selection of over 100 drawings for this book illustrates every stage of her war experience.  From the day she boarded the requisitioned QE2 with 3,000 servicemen, she recorded the continuous, intensive training and preparation.  She recorded the transfer at South Georgia to S.S.Canberra; the landings at San Carlos; and the deployment of the forces to Goose Green, to Fitzroy and Darwin, and finally to Stanley.  She recorded, too, the poignant and frequently hazardous aspects of the aftermath once the Ceasefire papers had been signed.
The narrative captions that Linda Kitson has written to each of her drawings are expanded from the notes she made in her diary.  The military detail is there, so too is the very human story.
This visual diary is a compelling document, and carries the distinction of both immediacy and historical record.  It will be treasured because it reflects so honestly the bravery and determination of men experiencing conditions that have been compared to those of the Crimean War.'