THE FALKLANDS

THIRTY-NINE years ago this week the Falkland Islands were liberated when the Argentinian invaders surrendered, but what was the war about?

The Falkland Islands have been continuously British since January 3, 1833. The most recent census (2016) shows 3,398 inhabitants. They are about 8,000 miles from Britain and 300 miles off the coast of Argentina.

In 1981, General Leopoldo Galtieri became the head of the junta that ruled Argentina. The country was in poor shape – inflation hit 600%, wages fell by 19.2% and GDP fell by 11.4%. In a bid to bolster public support, he decided to invade the Falklands.

On March 19, 1982, an Argentine scrap metal dealer and some pals landed illegally on South Georgia. They damaged property and raised the Argentinian flag.

On April 2, 1982 – the day of the real invasion – at 9.25am Rex Hunt, the Governor of the Falkland Islands, ordered the Royal Marines guarding his mansion in Port Stanley to surrender.

The House of Commons sat on a Saturday to discuss the crisis. Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington resigned on April 5 over the invasion. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, above, took the decision to send a task force to retake the islands.

Prince Andrew served as a helicopter pilot on HMS Invincible although Mrs Thatcher did not want him to go, fearing his aircraft might be shot down.

Each night, unmarried civil servant Ian Mcdonald, 46, appeared on British TV with a war update. Such was his subsequent fame that he was stalked by one woman for two years.

The phrase of the war came from the BBC’S Brian Hanrahan aboard aircraft carrier HMS Hermes. Describing the Harrier jump jets, he said: “I’m not allowed to say how many planes joined the raid, but I counted them all out, and I counted them all back.”

Among the most controversial incidents were the sinking of Argentine cruiser General Belgrano, with the loss of 323 lives, the sinking of HMS Sheffield with 20 deaths and the Battle of Goose Green which the BBC announced as a victory before it had happened. Lt Col Herbert “H” Jones received a posthumous Victoria Cross for his role in the battle.

A ceasefire was declared on June 14 but, oddly, the Falklands War was nothing of the kind – war was never declared.