Kevin Shoesmith talks to Roy "Wendy" Gibson, a steward onboard the MV Norland, about his memories of Margaret Thatcher and the 1982 Falklands War.
HE PORTRAYED himself as a woman in a man's world, pedalling against convention and determined to stamp her place in history.
So it's little surprise that Roy "Wendy" Gibson, a steward on board the MV Norland used to transport 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment to the Falklands, remembers Margaret Thatcher fondly.
Baroness Thatcher, who was Prime Minister during the 1982 conflict, divides the nation in death, just as she did in life.
But Roy, who entertained the troops on the North Sea passenger ferry requisitioned by the Merchant Navy as it headed into war with his drag queen act, won't hear a bad word said against the Iron Lady.
"Maggie was formidable," he says. "I admired her for her strength."
In front of him at his Cottingham home, close to the Cross Keys pub, is a selection of black-and-white photographs showing the 27-year-old heading to war on the "big happy ship".
Talk to anyone, crew or paratrooper, who sailed the 8,000 miles to the Falkland Islands onboard the MV Norland and you will find they all remember flamboyant Roy.
"The boys of 2 Para didn't really know what to make of me at first," he says, chuckling.
"They were all big, strapping lads, but they soon warmed to me.
"I can honestly say I did not experience one bit of homophobia on that ship.
"But then I would have dealt with it. I came out as gay when I was 18.
"We all got on because we were all in the same boat – literally.
"I remember 2 Para as being a really nice set of lads. We were like one big, happy family."
Roy and other members of the crew volunteered for the dangerous voyage which came under the direction of the Merchant Navy.
As a troop transporter, MV Norland was considered a legitimate target for Argentine fighter-bombers carrying deadly Exocet missiles.
While the men of 2 Para test-fired weapons and wrote last letters home as they made the long journey across the South Atlantic, Roy belted out songs with a Hull connection.
"I'd sing Old Faithful and Red, Red Robin for them," he says. "Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.
"My passport was my piano."
But the cheery lyrics could only disguise the looming danger for so long.
Roy recalls: "To begin with, there was quite a carnival atmosphere onboard.
"As we got nearer to the Falklands, that's when the atmosphere changed.
"You could really sense it. We were heading to war."
The ferry, more designed for passenger comfort than a means to travel to a distant conflict zone, was given a war face.
"The restaurant was used as a lecture theatre for survival lessons," says Roy.
"And the wine bar was used as a blood bank."
Roy had a war role, too.
"I was a bridge messenger," he says. "We all had little jobs to do onboard."
After dropping the paratroopers off, the MV Norland transported demoralised Argentine prisoners of war.
"We took them back to Uruguay and even Argentina," says Roy. "I wasn't at all looking forward to going to Argentina after the surrender."
Roy had two stints on the ship during the conflict.
"The second time, we were carrying the Queen's Own Highlanders," he says. They were all lovely as well.
"I played the piano for them, too. I can remember dressing up as an old-fashioned matron for a show."
In 1998, Roy was invited by 2 Para to attend a Falklands reunion at their base in Aldershot ,Hampshire.
"I was really honoured," he says. "They paid for my accommodation and even my train fare.
"I was a VIP guest of the boys."
But Roy didn't steal the show as he did in 1982.
There was another diva in town.
"Mrs Thatcher walked in," says Roy. "I said to her, 'Hello, Mrs Thatcher. I was Merchant Navy and I was on the Norland'.
"Now, I'm not political, but I found her to be very nice when she spoke to me.
"The meeting happened so quickly I didn't even think to take a photograph.
Some see Britain's longest-serving prime minister and the only woman to have held the role as oppressor of northern communities and a destroyer of UK industry.
Many will recall the mass walkout of Smith & Nephew workers when she visited the Hull factory in March 1980.
But Baroness Thatcher will forever be remembered with fondness by members of the Armed Forces.
Roy reflects on the death of Baroness Thatcher, who suffered a stroke at the Ritz in London on Monday at the age of 87.
For the first time, Roy "the showman" disappears.
It's clear Baroness Thatcher's death has triggered something personal – not just the Falklands connection.
"I was so sorry to hear Mrs Thatcher died from a stroke," he says. "My own mother died from one. Strokes can be very cruel."
• Flashback images of the Hull ferry Norland during the Falklands War
