Margaret Thatcher statue unveiled in the Falklands

Discussion in 'Postwar' started by CL1, Jan 12, 2015.

  1. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    [​IMG]


    Margaret Thatcher statue unveiled in the Falklands

    The bust is at the end of Thatcher Drive, next to the Liberation Monument, which honours 255 UK servicemen and three Falklands civilians

































































































    By Agency

    12:24PM GMT 11 Jan 2015




    A statue honouring Margaret Thatcher has been unveiled in the Falkland Islands for the first time.


    The tribute to the former Prime Minister - who lead Britain to victory in the 1982 conflict to defend the islands - was revealed in the island's capital Stanley on Saturday.


    After Baroness Thatcher died in 2013 the population of the Falkland Islands were consulted about how they wished to commemorate the leader.


    The overwhelming response was for a statue which was unveiled at a ceremony on what is Margaret Thatcher Day on the island by her son Sir Mark Thatcher.


    Local sculptor Steve Masson was commissioned to carry out the work which cost around £40,000 and stands eight foot high on a stone plinth.



    The bronze statue bears a brass plaque with a quote from Baroness Thatcher on April 3, 1982: "They are few in number, but they have the right to live in peace, to choose their own way of life and determine their own allegiance."
    The bust is at the end of Thatcher Drive, next to the Liberation Monument, which honours 255 UK servicemen and three Falklands civilians who died in the conflict.
    Last month Argentina's ambassador to Britain Alicia Castro condemned the statue "in our Malvinas Islands" as a provocative move.
    The Mail On Sunday reported she said: "What the UK is doing is celebrating war."
    [​IMG]
    Local sculptor Steve Masson was commissioned to make the sculpture which cost around £40,000 and stands eight foot high on a stone plinth.























    In Margaret Thatcher




    [​IMG]
     
  2. Bernard85

    Bernard85 WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    good day cl1.m.yesterday.10:45 pm.re:margaret thatcher statue unveiled in the falklands.a fine memorial to a great lady.may she rest in peace.regards bernard85 :poppy: :poppy:
     
  3. Drayton

    Drayton Senior Member

    It would be appropriate to recall that three women Falklands civilians did not simply "die" in the conflict. They were were killed - by a shell fired by the British Navy directly at the house on the coast where they were quietly going about their own business.

    Euphemisms and obfuscations are unhelpful in the evaluation of warfare.
     
    Drew5233 likes this.
  4. jonheyworth

    jonheyworth Senior Member

    My take is that whilst the liberation of the Falklands was a clear cut moral right to remove an evil militaristic regime from illegally occupied British territory, if the politicians had done their highly paid jobs properly BEFORE the conflict became necessary, then it err, wouldn't have been necessary

    Argentina gained from the Falklands War however as it ultimately lead to democracy in Argentina
     
    brithm and TTH like this.
  5. TTH

    TTH Senior Member

    If a foreign government attacked and occupied US territory without justification, provocation, or a declaration of war, then I would fight until they were expelled and completely defeated. Britain has no reason to be ashamed of the Falklands War, and Argentina has every reason to be ashamed of it. Commemorating the political leader who dispatched the relief force to the Falklands is hardly 'glorifying war'--a war which Britain did NOT begin and was not the agressor in. If any British prime minister or US president failed to send forces to liberate citizens of their countries from foreign occupation then they would be in violation of their oaths of office. I realize that many people in Britain dislike Mrs Thatcher for reasons of domestic politics which as an American I am not qualified to discuss, but I cannot see that such reasons apply here.
     
    BFBSM, Slipdigit, Drew5233 and 2 others like this.
  6. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Nice post TTH. I must say I never had a problem with her, but then again I'm a Southerner and it was the Northerners she disliked :lol:
     
    BFBSM and TTH like this.
  7. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Andy, she was from Grantham. If you hadn't gone native on us up in Yorkshire, you'd regard that as pretty much up north !
     
  8. Steve Mac

    Steve Mac Very Senior Member

    *
    Margaret Thatcher was a Northerner.

    I lived in the North East when the Heavy Engineering, Shipbuilding, the Steel Works and Coal Mines, were all being closed. I must say that I agreed with mothballing big parts of these unproductive and public funded industries, but not to the extremes her government went to. Whereas, for example, the Germans still managed to subsidise their coal industry and the French still managed to subsidise their shipbuilding industry, with EU money and which still flourish, 'Maggies' governement just killed off whole industries and the communities that worked in them; no cushion, no assistance and in fact these communities were vilified in the Southern biased press of that day. A lot of these communities have still haven't recovered.

    The reason I left the North East was a very quick realisation that, as Norman Tebbit said, I had to 'get on your/my bike', if I was to provide a good future for my family. I have since been doing missionary work in London and the South East of England, bringinging Christian principals to these pagan lands, cleansing the unwashed, good deeds generally; and drinking bitter.

    As for the Falklands, two ex-school friends were wounded there - one on the Coventry (who inhaled hot, noxious stuff arising from the missile hit) and the other a Marine (who was shot in the backside - I don't know if this was whilst running away, but...). I actually visited the Army Careers Information Office in Newcastle and 'volunteered' immediately the conflict began, but got laughed at and shown the door - 'we aren't taking volunteers yet, son'. When I got home, I told my wife what I'd done - her reaction was more frightening than anything our armed forces faced in the Falklands. Why? She was expecting; and my son was born the day after (or was it two) the conflict finished.

    I still think Maggie did the right thing but in the wrong way about the aforementioned industries and definitely the right thing about the Falklands.

    My missionary work in London and the South East of England continues, it has been a long struggle made easier in the knowledge that Andy now lives in the North. :biggrin:

    Best,

    Steve.
     
    TTH likes this.
  9. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Old Hickory Recon

    She was roundly applauded by me and my peers for actions in the Falklands.

    I still admire her for the resolve that she exhibited.
     
    canuck, TTH and CL1 like this.
  10. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Here is one of her early memos in regard to the Argentine invasion and the run up to her decision to send the Task Force.

    I would love some more time to take a look at the recent file releases at TNA.

    View attachment Falklands March 1982 copy.pdf
     
    CL1 and Steve Mac like this.
  11. Steve Mac

    Steve Mac Very Senior Member

    Excellent post, Steve.

    Best,

    Steve.
     
  12. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Steve dont know what you mean about the industries we
    still make great cars

    [​IMG]
     
  13. Steve Mac

    Steve Mac Very Senior Member

    Very funny, Clive.

    No doubt the manufacturer is now 'foreign owned'!
     
  14. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

  15. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Cheers Steve,

    I find this subject fascinating as it was the first real conflict in my adult lifetime in which I fully understood the reasoning and consequences. Attached another little piece for your interest, this time from 1979 and the Labour Government's attempts at a compromise with Argentina.

    View attachment 345.pdf
     
    Steve Mac and CL1 like this.
  16. Steve Mac

    Steve Mac Very Senior Member

    *
    Another great post, Steve.

    It just goes to show that trying to compromise or appease just doesn't work. It is always important to stay strong and face up to the bullies/potential aggressors. This is what worries me about the continual reduction in size (and therefore capability) of our conventional armed forces and the funding for them; we are not staying strong.

    It would be interesting to see what the policy/attitude towards Argentina and regarding the Falklands of the new (in later 1979 to early 1982) Conservative Government was, namely, before the Argie Bargy...

    Best,

    Steve.
     
  17. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Hi Steve,

    I totally agree with your concerns about the size and capabilities of our Armed Forces. Worrying times with Putin and the potential threat from IS. The recent releases at TNA re: Margaret Thatcher are all of great interest, I think they are up to 1985 ish now. The Westland Affair is something I'd like to investigate.

    Cheers

    Steve
     
  18. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    If I remember correctly from reading her biographies, she was often out on her own in regards to the Falklands. Lord Carrington had taken up the out-going Labour Government's idea of a Hong Kong style, 'Lease-back'. That is handing over the islands to Argentina and them leasing back again on a long term lease.

    "I could not possibly agree to the line the Foreign Secretary (Carrington) is proposing." MT September 20th 1979.
     
  19. TTH

    TTH Senior Member

    Si vis pacem, para bellum. True in Roman times and true now.
     
    Steve Mac likes this.
  20. TTH

    TTH Senior Member

    What the fornication is this Castro creature complaining about? The only people who live in the Falklands are British. The Argentine claim to the islands is about as valid as Burgundy's claim to Pimlico.
     

Share This Page