Weymouth: Spitfire and Hurricane flypast for Falklands anniversary

A flypast featuring a Spitfire alongside a Hurricane is expected to take place along the seaside resort's beach

A flypast featuring a Spitfire and Hurricane and a military vehicle convoy will form part of a seaside town's Armed Forces Weekend.

The three-day event in Weymouth will see 60 military vehicles parade along the seafront on Saturday at 10:00 BST.

The RAF's Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) team will fly along the beach ahead of a service and parade of veterans on Sunday at 11:00.

The event will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Falklands conflict.

Organised by Weymouth Town Council, the final day features a flag raising ceremony, part of a number being held across the UK, on Monday at 10:30.

Councillor Christine James said: "This year's three-day celebration in support of our armed forces - past, present and future - is especially poignant as we mark the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War.

"It's the first time that we've been able to run a full programme of celebrations since the pandemic so it's fantastic to be back."

Weymouth Town Council said it had been awarded a £10,000 Ministry of Defence grant to help pay for the celebrations.

What was the Falklands War?

On 2 April 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, a remote UK dependency in the South Atlantic.

Argentina said it had inherited the islands from Spain in the 1800s and wanted to reclaim sovereignty of them.

The UK, which had ruled the islands for 150 years, quickly chose to fight and dispatched a task force to retake the islands.

In the brief but bitter war lasting 74 days, 655 Argentine and 255 British servicemen lost their lives, as did three Falkland Islanders.

British forces regained control of the islands on 14 June 1982.