Well, it has been a busy Spring. And now we are in Summer and this is the first chance I have had a minute to write something in this blog. The preparations for the Memorial Service for Sir Rex Hunt took up a lot of that time. A small sub-committee was set up to make the detailed arrangements once the event had been approved by the Executive Committee. Members were Alan Huckle, Peter Johnson, Paul Martinez, Tammy Thurman (Rex Hunt's grand-daughter), Martin Hooker (Regimental Secretary to the RAF Regiment) and Sukey Cameron (FIG ) with me as Secretary to the sub-committee. We met a couple of times in London at the FIG office in Westminster but most of the work was done by emails around the group.

Notice was given of the agreed date, 2.30pm Tuesday 11th June 2013, the day before the FIG Annual Reception in London. The RAF Church at St Clement Danes in the Strand was booked and it was agreed that the Chaplain, Rev'd David Osborn would lead the service and the Chaplain in Chief to the RAF, The Venerable (Air Vice-Marshall) R J Pentland would give the address. A trumpeter from the RAF Band was requested to sound two fanfares during the service. The Order of Service was agreed and was produced by Martin Hooker who also arranged for the admission cards to be printed.

For security reasons those wishing to attend had to have an admission card and over the next few weeks applications began to flow in, some by post but the majority by email

The day of the service arrived, the weather was dry and almost 200 people gathered at the church. The service opened with a fanfare played by the trumpeter from the Band of the Royal Air Force as the clergy procession entered the church. The choir then sang the anthem 'I was glad' by Sir Hubert Parry before the bidding payer by the Reverend David Osborn. The first hymn was 'Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!' during which Sir Rex's medals and awards were taken up to the altar by his son, Tony.

I was privileged to read the lesson from Chapter 15 of St John's Gospel verses 9 to 17 and the poem 'High Flight' by John Gillespie Magee was read by Tammy Thurman, grand-daughter to Sir Rex. The choir then sang 'The Lord's my Shepherd (Psalm 23) before the tribute was given by Mr. David Tatham, CMG, a former Governor of the Falkland Islands and a Vice-President of the Falkland Islands Association.

Mr Alan Huckle, a former Governor of the Falkland Islands and Chairman of the Falkland Islands Association, read a letter from the The Rt Hon William Hague MP,  Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

Next came the hymn 'He who would valiant be' which was followed by a tribute by Mr John Weightman, cousin to Sir Rex, on behalf of the family.

The sermon was given by The Venerable R J Pentland, Chaplain-in-Chief & Archdeacon for the Royal Air Force  and this was followed by prayers led by the Reverend David Osborn.

After the Commendation the choir sang 'God be in my head' by Walford-Davies and then, following another fanfare, the congregation sang 'Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven'  The Chaplain in Chief then gave the Blessing and as the clergy processed out the familiar voice of Louis Armstrong rang out singing 'On Blueberry Hill' a great favourite with Sir Rex.

In addition to Lady Hunt and members of her family the congregation included men and women who had fought in the 1982 conflict also former diplomats who had known the Hunt's in Uganda and other overseas postings together with a number of former Governors of the Falkland Islands. Several Members of Parliament from both the House of Commons and the House of Lords attended. Representatives came from the RAF, RAF Charities, SAMA82 and the Falkland Families Association together with other friends and members of the FIA, Falkland Islanders and Falkland students studying in the UK.

 

Brigadier General Julian Thompson CBE, OBE with Lady Hunt after the service

Tony Hunt to the right of the group

After the service many went on to a reception in The Betjeman Room at The Charing Cross Hotel where a condolences book, which had been started in the Falkland Islands, was available for those present to add their comments. The signed letter from the Foreign Secretary, which had been read out at the service, was handed to Lady Hunt together with the Condolences Book.



It was generally agreed that the event was a success. Part of this account may be found on the FIA website at (click here) where there are links to David Tatham's tribute and the letter from the Foreign Secretary.

Although lots has been happening on the political front regarding the forthcoming Referendum in the Falkland Islands it has been well covered by other members of the social website community on Facebook and Twitter.

However a couple of things came to my notice today which are worth a mention.

First I have just watched Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's programme in the Save our Seas series on Channel 4 which focussed on South Georgia and Antarctica and the latest developments in the krill fishery - fascinating and bit worrying. I missed the original broadcast but it can be seen over the next 21 days or so (from 1/3/13) on the Channel 4 website at http://www.channel4.com/programmes/hughs-fish-fight/4od#3480114 

Second I have just received an email from the Falkland Islands Museum with this picture of the new Museum building being constructed in Stanley.

 



With the ever increasing number of visitors to the Islands, despite the efforts of our less than friendly neighbours across the water, it will be good to have a new base for the museum with more space to show off their range of exhibits. Leona Roberts, the Museum Manager wrote in her email - 

'This will form just a part of the museum complex – the main building on the site will be the old Central Store (or Store Number 1 as it was known in the 1840s) and we will also be making use of several small outbuildings, including the smithy and the original jail. The Public Works Department are still occupying some of the buildings and we are not entirely sure when their relocation will be complete and the buildings handed over, so we are not likely to be able to open the entire site in November. Although that is not ideal, it will still be a bigger space and a much better site than we have now.

We are currently still open at Britannia House and are limited in what we can do until we have waved off the last cruise ship in April –at this point we will flip the sign to “closed”, take a deep breath and start packing like crazy!

Not many people read this blog but if you do you might consider becoming a Friend of the Falkland Islands Museum and Jane Cameron National Archives (FIMA Friends). Membership starts at £20 pa for an individual or just £15 if you are content to receive communications by email. Further information from their membership secretary Dr Stephen Palmer at palmers@fintry.plus.com

This 40 page booklet has been available as a download from the Falkland Islands Government (FIG) website but hard copies are now available from the FIG London office at 14 Broadway, Westminster, London SW1H 0BH to callers. For those unable to call in copies will be supplied if requested on application by post - please enclose a stamped (to the value £1.10) and addressed A4 envelope.

The booklet examines the history of the Islands and the people who were part of that history up to the present day.

Whist I am on line I should mention that we celebrated Battle Day in London at The Cenotaph on 8th December 2012. Once again we were fortunate with the weather and the sun shone as we gathered at The Cenotaph to remember all who had given their lives in the many battles in the South Atlantic in both World Wars and the 1982 Conflict.

Rear Admiral Lambert, Naval Hydrographer, lays the wreath on behalf of the Armed Services

 

Zoran Zuvic laid a wreath for the Falkland Islands Defence Force

 

Following the ceremony members went to the Union Jack Club in Waterloo for the Annual General Meeting of the FIA. After the formal business was over the Hunter-Christie Memorial Prize for the Student of the Year was awarded to Sonia Arkhipkina by Mrs Merle Christe

Falkland Islands MLA Jan Cheek addressed the members with an update on the present situation in the Islands.

Andrew Rosindell MP, Secretary of the UK/FI All Party Parliamentary Group brought greetings from both Houses of Parliament and presented a picture of HM the Queen to the FIA to mark Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee.

Andrew Rosindell MP with members of the FIA Executive Committee



Haven't written anything for a while but must mention the new booklet published by Falkland Islands Government - Our Islands Our History. Not available yet in hardback but the pdf is available from the FIG website, to go to the website click here.

An attractive and informative booklet it is intended as a companion to the booklet Our Islands Our Home which was published last summer 2012 and which, if you haven't seen a copy, can be downloaded from the same FIG website.

Have just received an email from Ivan Milburn who has written an book entitled "Falklands War - Get STUFT" which is described as 'a sailor's diary from the Falklands War 1982, telling the truth with tongue-in-cheek humour and charts the voyage taken by the RMS St Helena (a ship taken up from trade hence STUFT in the title). She supported HMS Brecon and HMS Ledbury in minehunting/sweeping and other ordnance clearance, including diving on the wrecks of sunken warships.

My shelf of books from the 1982 Conflict is already groaning but this may be a worthy addition - available from Amazon and other booksellers. Paperback 248 pages. My copy has been ordered.

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A Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Paddy Vincent will be held at 11am on Thursday, October 18th, at St Margaret’s Church, Lothbury, London EC2R 7HH, and afterwards at the Furniture Makers’ Hall, 12 Austin Friars, London EC2N 2HE.

A recent letter from Annabelle Spencer (see earlier post) reports that she was sorry about the cancellation of the 2012 Falkland Islands Exhibition at Fairfield Halls, Croydon due to ill health.

She goes on to reminds us that the only Falkland Islands Shop outside the Islands can be found in Wells, Somerset at Falkland House, 3 Tucker Street. The shop, which was opened by Sir Rex Hunt CMG in 1987, has everything that would have been at the Croydon Exhibition. Phone Annabelle on 01749 672357 if you are going to visit. Her last comment was "ill health sounds so 'dead' to me and I am not!"

Pictured here is the late Captain Vincent CBE RN (retired) (see last post) with Robin Lee on Narrows Island, Port Howard (photo Jim McAdam)

I have just heard that Captain P.M.C. (Paddy) Vincent CBE, RN (Retired) passed away on August 23, 2012 at the age of 87. He was born in the Falkland Islands and his father died at sea as the family were travelling to the UK for home leave. After a lifetime in the Royal Navy he worked in London. A long time member of the Association he reguarly acted as Parade Marshall at the Battle Day Ceremony at the Cenotaph in London. He was also active in the UK Falkland Islands Trust as a Trustee from 1993 and served as its Chairman from 1997 to 2001. He was also one time Chairman of the Burma Star Association. A service of thanksgiving is planned for October but details are not confirmed as yet. A full obituary will appear in due course in Penguin News and in the FIA Newsletter. Unfortunately the October 2012 edition went to the printer before we heard this sad news.

I have just heard that the Falkland Islands Exhibition due to run at the Fairfield Hall, Croydon from 3rd to 8th September 2012 will not take place this year as Annabelle Spencer has been unwell and is not well enough to attend. We wish her a speedy recovery to full health.

 

Annabelle Spencer pictured here at the FIG Reception at Lincoln's Inn June 2011

51 Degrees South have published the latest in their series of videos on the people of the Falkland Islands. This episode features Samantha Brownlee, who was FIA Student of the Year in 2008. The FIA send their best wishes to Samantha and wish her well for the future. Find the video at http://vimeo.com/47459657

It has been some time since I turned to the blog - not a lot to say. Have been busy chasing up the non-payers and still a few trickling in although it looks as though a number of members have just disappeared - letters not sent back 'gone away' just, well, nothing! Perhaps when the Newsletter doesn't arrive in October I will hear something.

In my last post I mentioned the episode of 51 Degrees South featuring Samantha Brownlee was due on 6th August - it will now be published on August 13th.

I may have mentioned a request for a Falkland Islands Association tie - well, we now have them in stock - they were delivered yesterday. We will sell them to members at £9 + £2 post and packing.  Cheque to Falkland Islands Association and orders to me at 6 St Annes Road, Shrewsbury, SY3 6AU

Sorting out the lapsed subscribers has taken a lot of time and sadly over half of the responses have been from the next of kin advising the death of a spouse or parent.

Good news yesterday via Twitter that one of our Students of the Year, Samantha Brownlee (winner 2008) has won a Silver Medal at the Century Skill At Arms Combat Shooting competion at Bisley where she is part of the FIDF team taking part in the event. Samantha is also to feature in one of the profiles being broadcast on line by 51º South who have produced documentary series on the Falkland Islands with the title 51º South. Find them at  - http://www.51degreessouth.com Samantha's profile will be broadcast 6th August.

Now that the flow of incoming subscriptions for 2012/13 has eased I have made a start on a task long overdue - checking on members who did not pay their subscription last year and have discovered that several are long overdue. The Newsletters are not being returned so I assume they (or someone) are still getting their copy or there are piles of Newsletters in empty houses throught the world. A gentle letter will have to be sent but I have one problem in that some Bankers Order that appear on the bank statements have insufficient information to identify the subscriber so one or two of the unpaid on the list will be able to put me right - in a friendly way I hope.

Another task this summer, before I get down to Battle Day planning, is the review of subscription rates for the FIA. Our rates were first fixed in 1982 at £10 for members, £5 for Associate members (students and seniors). The £10 subscription was increased to £15 in March 1989, the associate rate staying the same. With ever rising postal costs the £5 rate just covers the costs of printing and mailing within the UK whilst copies going overseas cost more than the subscription a situation that cannot be allowed to continue - whilst we welcome support from our overseas members we cannot expect full price members to subsidise the associate member overseas. Our membership suscriptions should be set at a level to pay for the two Newsletters and postage charges with something left over to run the Association. The next Executive Committee meeting and the following AGM may be difficult if this subject gets a proper airing. This is a difficult time to suggest an increase but 30 years at the same rate!

Whilst I am bogged down with routine matters things move on on the political front with the announcement by the Falkland Islands Government that a referendum on their future will take place in early 2013. Some strange reactions in the press suggesting that it was the UK Government's idea and several saying this is the first time it has happened ignoring the November 1994 poll that rejected the idea of an Argentine buyout.

Off to London tomorrow for the FIG Reception at Lincoln's Inn - numbers are up this year following the increase publicity as it is the 30th anniversary of the liberation of the Islands. As we meet in London President Kirchner will be at the UN to berate the C24 Decolonisation Committee and the Falkland Island representatives on how she hopes to colonise the Falkland Islands. Interesting times.

Sold the last copy of Lisa Watson's 'Waking up to War' yesterday and one more order came in this morning! Still have plenty of 'Diddle Dee to Wire Gates' but just three copies of 'Rocky the Rockhopper'. Have sold half of the stock of lapel badges but still plenty left.

 

Must remember to take some stock of badges and 'Diddle Dee to Wire Gates' to the FIG Reception at Lincoln's Inn on 14th June.

The flood of subscription renewals has eased for the moment. Will have to get down to reviewing unpaid lists for last year.

The Newsletter is published at last and is landing on the doormats as I write. We apologise for the delay but Lisa has had a very busy summer with all the press and TV interest in the Islands for the 30th Anniversary of the conflict.

And still it goes on - the latest incident involves a film clip transmitted on many Argentine TV channels showing Fernando Zylberberg, captain of the Argentine men's national hockey team, running through the streets of Stanley (not an Islander in sight!). There is no commentary but the strap lines at the end say "To compete on English soil we train on Argentine soil" . Seems to me a clear breach of the International Olympic Committee rules which say“No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas. The film clearly has Argentine Governnment blessing as it is also published on the Casa Rosada YouTube site. You can watch the film at

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSlyQp9NAoM&feature=youtu.be

It has also been suggested that the Argentine teams at the London Olympics will be wearing badges stating "Malvinas son Argentinas" also in clear breach of the IOC rules. It does seem possible that the politicisation of the Olympics in this way could lead to the teams being disqualified.

Argentine Ambassador to the UK, Alicia Castro, has arrived and wasted no time in upsetting readers of the Daily Telegraph with her attack on Britain in an article headed "Warmongering won't settle this old dispute". In the article she claims that she is 'facing a campaign that “celebrates” a war that took place 30 years ago and warmongering, disrespectful and aggressive language that obstructs dialogue'. I assume she means Britain by this remark which has commemorated, not celebrated, the 30th Anniversary of the Falklands Conflict, war was never declared by either side. Or perhaps she means the celebrations that took place in Argentina, the violent attack on the British Embassy in Buenos Aires and the disrespectful and aggressive language of President Cristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner when talking about the Falkland Islanders and the British Government. Judging by the 500 plus on line comments on the article her readers are not impressed by her attempts to 'to rebuild and strengthen bilateral relations.'

Her biased and error ridden account of the history of the Falkland Islands is capped with the denial of self determination for the Falkland Islanders under the United Nations Charter.

The statement that ' We are not willing to take away the Britishness and the way of life of the 3,000 inhabitants of the islands.' sounds rather hollow. In the last 74 days of Argentine rule in the Islands in 1982 the official language became Spanish, residents were required to drive on the opposite side of the road, the laws administering the population were replaced with rules in Spanish. Falkland Islanders were rounded up, imprisoned and in many cases evicted from the Islands. Ambassador Castro blames the Military Junta that was in power at that time for the invasion and its effects but the Junta were the Government at that time and the crowds in front of the Casa Rosada seemed very happy with their actions.

Sadly any chance of negotiations to bring about peaceful relations between the peoples of the Falkland Islands and Argentina are pushed further into the background by this aggressive attack on the Falkland Islanders and the Great Britain which closely follows the party line of the present Argentine President.

Easter Monday and its raining! Nine days into the month and still no confirmation that all the material for the Newsletter is at the printers. It seems most unlikely that it will be out in time to pick up a few more guests for the trip to Kew on 25th.

Steve Hawkshaw has emailed to say that the British Forces weekend in SOUTHPORT will run on 30th June/1st July at Princes Park from 11:00 to 17:30 with free entry. Participants are as follows:

Saturday, 30th, Southport Veterans Day Carnival 13:00 Lead by the Royton ATC Band and RAF Woodvale University Squadron

Sunday 1st July Southport Falkland 30th Anniversary and BAFD Parade
10:30 Lead by the Welsh Guards Band (not confirmed)
RBL Riders Branch to take part.

Bar and Entertainment in the Town Hall Gardens
Royal Signals Motorbike Display on the park

In addition there will be a Falklands Display in Southport Town Hall From June 25th.

Press coverage is declining now that the anniversary of the invasion is over but I expect coverage will continue and then pick up again in June. 

One of our faithful US members has just renewed his subscription and ordered one of the new lapel badges - this will be the first badge to wing its way across the pond to the US. He will know that it is on its way as he tells me that he has been reading this blog which is reassuring as sometimes you wonder if anyone reads it although the statistics say that there are more hits from the US than the UK! So thank you - you will know who you are. The package was posted today.

It is good to know that we have supporters in both the USA and Canada. The visit to the Falkland Islands by US Congressman Jim Sessenbrenner a few weeks ago was encouraging - he thought he was the first sitting member of the US Congress to visit the Islands and hoped that he would not be the last. When he addressed the Legislative Council in Stanley he said that the United States has always stood for the principle of self determination saying "we let the British Crown know that about 230 years ago and we haven't changed our viewpoint that the people should be allowed to direct able to choose their system of government and make whatever alliances and determinations that are necessary" Let us hope he takes his experiences back to Congress and convinces a few other members of the importance of self determination to the Falkland Islanders.