Britain’s leaders, war veterans and bereaved relatives on Thursday marked the 25th anniversary of victory in the Falklands War amid a mixture of celebration and sombre reflection.
Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Tony Blair and Baroness Margaret Thatcher, who was prime minister at the time, participated in a service marking the end of the conflict with Argentina over the South Atlantic islands.
British soldiers entered the Falklands’ capital, Stanley, on June 14 1982, ending the 74-day occupation and a conflict that killed 649 Argentine and 255 British personnel and three islanders.
A special radio message from Queen Elizabeth was broadcast to the 3Â 000-odd Falkland Islands inhabitants.
“Twenty-five years ago, the men and women of the Task Force made a stand for democracy and freedom,” the sovereign said.
“Since then, you have shown that their sacrifice was not in vain by your continued loyalty and determination to safeguard and develop your way of life in these islands.”
Prince Edward, the queen’s youngest son, was to join Britain’s Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram, Lord Cecil Parkinson, representing Thatcher’s war cabinet, and 1982 Falklands governor Sir Rex Hunt for a thanksgiving service in Stanley and a parade to the Liberation Monument.
In Britain, Queen Elizabeth, Thatcher and Blair joined veterans and bereaved families in a thanksgiving service at the Falkland Islands Memorial Chapel in the grounds of Pangbourne College near Reading, west of London.
Defence Secretary Des Browne said beforehand: “The liberation of the Falkland Islands was a huge achievement for our forces, operating in harsh conditions more than 13Â 000km away.”
Mark Jones (46), a Royal Engineers Lance Corporal who served with the 3 Parachute Regiment in the battle of Mount Longdon, said: “I feel proud that we were able to do something for Britain.
“I’m here in respect of the boys who did not come home and their families. They paid the ultimate sacrifice and it’s important they are never forgotten,” he said.
Four Harrier jets performed a fly-past before the service, which included hymns, Bible readings and a bagpipe lament.
Afterwards, following a Scottish tradition, the queen added the final stone to a memorial cairn.
The 255 stones, taken from key sites across the Falklands, represented each British Task Force life lost. Each bore a message.
In Greenwich, south-east London, the queen’s daughter, Princess Anne, was to attend a service of remembrance and commemoration followed by a “heroes dinner” for those decorated for their part in the conflict.
Thatcher was also to attend a Falkland Islands government reception in central London along with Edward’s wife, Sophie, Countess of Wessex.
On Sunday, a showpiece event in London will consist of a march of veterans and their modern-day service counterparts in London along the Mall, the processional route that leads to Buckingham Palace.
There will also be a fly-past of Falklands-era aircraft as well as a live link-up with the Falklands, enabling islanders and veterans to recount the events in their own words. — AFP