It was a battle for the sovereignty of a group of islands thousands of miles away and saw the US and the Soviet Union unite in expressing serious doubts the UK could liberate them.

But the British eventually overcame fierce Argentinian resistance and now, 40 years on, a team of veterans and archaeologists have arrived in the Falklands to carry out a survey of the battlefields.

The Falklands War Mapping Project is a collaboration involving the University of Oxford, University of Glasgow, Falkland Islands Museum & National Trust, and Waterloo Uncovered, a charity that uses archaeology as therapy for trauma and injury.

Two British Army veterans – Jim and John, who fought in the Battle of Mount Tumbledown – are accompanying the team to the battlefield and bring with them their unique understanding of the landscape, finds and past events.

One of the veterans, John, is visiting the Falklands for the first time in 40 years, while it is Jim’s fifth visit.

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Mark Evans, chief executive of Waterloo Uncovered, said: “Forty years after the conflict, seven years after Waterloo Uncovered started helping veterans though archaeology, we are proud and excited to be visiting the Falklands.

“We are accompanied by two Mount Tumbledown veterans to help them move on in their lives and to start to record the physical reminders and memories of 1982 that are still there today but dwindling fast.

“It is great to see our work reaching beyond the Battle of Waterloo, to help more veterans and learn more about important military history.”

The conflict began on April 2, 1982, when Argentina invaded the Falklands. At the time the South American country was ruled by a military junta and it is believed they miscalculated Margaret Thatcher’s desire to retaliate.

Discussions had been ongoing for several years between the UK and Argentina about the island’s sovereignty, which is believed to have swayed the invasion plans.

However, Mrs Thatcher vowed to reclaim the islands and sent a military task force thousands of miles and the Argentinians surrendered on June 12, 1982.

Before the taskforce was sent, both the US and Soviet Union had expressed fears that it was a conflict that Britain would lose badly.

Now the research team is scouring the battlefields to uncover any remnants from the conflict.

READ MORE: Two veterans who fought in Falklands meet 40 years on from war

Professor Tony Pollard, Professor of Conflict Archaeology & Hertiage at the University of Glasgow, said: “The scattered objects, aircraft wrecks, makeshift fortifications, and even shell holes, from the Falklands War represent important elements of the cultural heritage of conflict, and have the potential to add to our knowledge of the personal experiences of combatants on both sides. It is now a matter of some urgency that these remains are recorded.

“I have visited the islands on several occasions since the 30th anniversary in 2012, and over that time it is clear that relic collection, decay, infrastructure development, and natural processes of landscape change have taken their toll.

“Having veterans from 1982 join the team is a huge privilege, and this direct link between the past and the present is a unique development in conflict archaeology.”

Rod Eldridge, Welfare Officer at Waterloo Uncovered, said: “We know the power and positive effects we deliver to veterans taking them to the battlefield of Waterloo and engaging them as part of the team, carrying out real archaeology. Imagine, then, the potential to take veterans back to their own battle to do real military history work. We take the greatest of care with our veterans, to ensure their time with us is positive.”