A Falmouth man who sailed to the Falklands war on HMS Illustrious has had his part in the conflict recognised, 33 years after the fighting ceased.

Chris Fallowfield, of Conway Road, joined his shipmates at a medal presentation and black tie dinner in Portsmouth as they were awarded the South Atlantic Medal without rosette, after a medal review agreed to extend the eligibility period past the original date of July 12, 1982.

Chris said: "HMS Illustrious was rushed out of the shipyard... we got down there as the majority of the shooting and scratching was over.

"Margaret Thatcher in her wisdom decided that they needed to do the medal issues and promotions and parades as soon as possible in order to brighten people's day.

"They did, and then they realised that perhaps several people, like the crew of the ship, had missed out on getting an award."

The change to the requirements for receiving the medal, which could see around 10,000 more personnel recognised for their role, takes the eligibility period up to October 21 1982.

During that period no official cessation of hostilities had been agreed, and the armed forces in the south Atlantic were at their highest state of alert, with the Royal Navy on defence watch, meaning personnel were told to write wills, issued dog tags and kept continually vigilant, sleeping six hours on six hours off at weapon stations.

"We didn't get shot at or in mortal danger, like the initial first round. But we were on a war footing," Chris said, adding that they were aware that several ships had already been sunk by the Argentinians.

The crew were presented with their awards by Admiral of the Fleet Sir Jock Slater at Portsmouth Guildhall, and Chris, who left the navy in 1992 and is currently a fire and safety officer for First Bus, said it was a great chance to meet former shipmates.

"It's funny how 33 years passes away. We're all slightly greyer, some of us slightly heavier, but apart from that it felt as if we had only left each other the day before."

Overall, he said: "It's nice to have the contribution recognised, not just for myself but for the whole crew."