from the heat of conflict

Report by MHARI KELLY

AFTER five months of tough life below the sea, Martin Law has at last been reunited with his family.

The former Winsford Sea Cadet was among the crew serving aboard the Royal Navy submarine HMS Splendid during the recent NATO campaign against the former Yugoslavia.

It was then that Splendid became the first British submarine to fire cruise missiles, aimed at destroying Serbian air defences, radar and surface-to-air missile bases.

Martin, a marine engineer, was aboard the submarine when this happened, living in a tiny area with a crew of 130 people.

But just a few weeks ago, HMS Splendid returned to her base at Faslane on the Clyde - and Martin was able to meet up again with his friends and family on dry land.

Martin's family have been anxiously keeping track of his movements via news reports and they are extremely proud that he has been serving his country.

Now, safely back at his home in Beckenham Grove, Winsford, Martin has a four-week rest before he returns to action. He has planned a holiday in Ibiza with his friends.

But he talked about his memories aboard the sub and the horrors of the Balkan war.

He said: "Hopefully it will be a once in a lifetime involvement in such a conflict.

"Even if at times I was not happy with what I had to do, it was for the men, women and children of Kosovo."

Martin - a former pupil of Greenfields Primary School and Woodford Lodge High School in Winsford - appeared on TV earlier this year in a BBC series about HMS Splendid's voyage.

The documentary was watched by millions of people across the country.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.