[1] Hugh Balfour was born in Malta into a Royal Navy family on 29 April 1933, and received his early formal education at Ardvreck School, Crieff, and at Kelly College, Tavistock.

[4] On route Exeter had a secret meeting with the tanker British Esk to refuel,[2] and Balfour received a tactical briefing from Sam Salt, the captain of sunk HMS Sheffield (who was returning with his surviving crew to England) on the naval battle situation raging in the Falklands, where the Royal Navy was under repeat air assaults from fighter jets of the Argentine Navy and Air Force.

[4] Exeter reached the Falklands and joined the task force on 22 May 1982, during the British amphibious assault landings to retake the Islands at San Carlos water.

[2] Exeter's primary role was to protect the task force, and provide early warning of incoming hostile aircraft and missiles using her Type 1022 Radar.

[4] During the fighting over the next three weeks she shot down two attacking Argentine A-4C Skyhawks on 30 May 1982, and a hostile Learjet 35A on 7 June 1982 using her Sea Dart missile system.