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Pictures by Peter Pepper,
Falkland Islands Newsletter |
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Picture Page 1 |
Picture Page 2 |
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The Text
Below Is Taken From The Service Booklet From The Day |
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SERVICE OF COMMEMORATION
of the
Falkland Gardens, Gosport & March Past to Commemorate the 20th
Anniversary of the end of the Falkland’s Conflict
SUNDAY 16TH JUNE AT 11.00AM
FOREWORD
The
Worshipful Mayor of Gosport Councillor Geoff Bartlett
OBE
In
April 1982 I was working at the Operational Headquarters of The
Commander in Chief Fleet, then Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse.
I had just arrived home in Gosport after a night duty in the
Operations Room. It was mid-morning on the Saturday when the
phone rang. One of my staff said "Boss you had better get back
quickly – something has happened in the Falklands". That was the
start of the momentous and at times harrowing weeks of the
Falklands Campaign.
It was with great pride that I witnessed the Armed Forces, the
Merchant Navy, the Dockyards and the myriad of support
establishments and organisations manned by civilians swing into
action. It was professionalism at its finest. None of this could
have happened without the political will to succeed.
I was lucky – unlike so many families - I did not lose a
relative. But I did lose friends who were killed in action.
Today we welcome you all to share in this Service of Remembrance
for those who simply ‘Did Their Duty’. It is not just those who
went into action that we thank and remember. It is their
families, for without their loyalty and support our members of
the Armed Forces could not carry out their duties with the
dedication that they showed then and now.
It is fitting that today’s service is held here in the Falklands
Gardens where, 20 years ago, so many of you stood to watch the
Task Force sail to wish it God’s speed and blessing to bring it
home safely. For some it was not to be. To them we say ‘THANK
YOU’.
THE RT. HON. THE BARONESS THATCHER LG OM FRS
Twenty
years ago a fleet of ships left these shores to sail eight
thousand miles to the South Atlantic on a mission which some
critics thought impossible.
For the families and friends of members of the Task Force who
stood on this coast to watch their loved ones depart for an
uncertain future, there was a feeling of anxiety and
apprehension.
Britain has the most professional and most dedicated armed
forces in the world but war inevitably has its casualties, and
we knew that some of those leaving might not return. This
memorial reminds us of those who fought heroically so that
others might regain their freedom, and it also reminds us of
those who sadly did not return.
Though we gather here today to mark their achievement, we do not
need physical monuments – in our hearts we shall never forget
them.
SIR REX HUNT CMG
Former Governor of the Falkland Islands
W hen
I came face-to-face with General Garcia of the Argentine Army in
Stanley Town Hall on 2 April 1982, I said to him, "You have
landed unlawfully on British territory and I order you to remove
yourself and your troops forthwith." Whereupon he replied ‘We
have taken back what is rightfully ours and we shall stay
forever’.
Thanks to Baroness Thatcher and the Task Force, ‘forever’ became
74 short days. Short, that is, for people like myself who were
stuck back in the UK, eyes glued to the TV or ears to the radio.
Not short for the Falkland Islanders under Argentine occupation
and certainly not short for the next-of-kin of the 255 members
of the Task Force and three Islanders who made the ultimate
sacrifice and whom we remember at this service today.
We also remember with everlasting gratitude all
the members of the Task Force who put their lives at risk in
order to win back the Islanders’ democratic right to
self-determination.
Here in the Falkland Gardens, it is also fitting to remember all
the people in this country who made it possible to win a war
waged 8,000 miles away. No one could have done more to achieve
this han your own Gosport hero, Admiral of the Fleet, Lord
Fieldhouse. He it was who conducted the war from Northwood and
provided the essential link between the battlefield and Downing
Street. There was a special chemistry between him and his Prime
Minister I noticed when they came to the Falklands together in
1983. Not only was there mutual respect, but also genuine
affection and trust. We were indeed fortunate in having two
special people in those positions at the time.
But this is not only a service of remembrance. It is also a
service of rededication. In 1983 when Falklands Councillors
bestowed the Freedom of the Islands on Lady Thatcher, they
pledged that they would build a better future for Islanders to
ensure that the war had been worthwhile and that British lives
had not been lost in vain.
Today, that pledge has been fulfilled; they are a prosperous,
vibrant community with a bright future.
In 1983 Lady Thatcher ended her acceptance speech in Stanley
Town Hall with the words, "Today again the Union Jack flies over
Stanley and may it ever fly there." It is our duty to continue
to ensure that it does.
THE REVEREND
GODFREY HILLIARD BA DipTheol RN
ROYAL NAVY CHAPLAIN
God of Goodness and Truth;
We offer our thanks;
For the wonder of your Providence and the renewing liberty of
your Grace;
We rejoice in our inheritance of spiritual things and in the
freedom and peace in which we live.
Especially this day we give thanks as we remember the devotion
to duty and the self sacrifice of the men and women in our Armed
Forces;
The toil, endurance, and suffering of those who were not in
uniform;
And the support of those who sent us help from afar.
Let us remember those who came back;
Those whose lives bear the unseen scars of war
Those who lost sight or limbs or reason;
Those who lost faith in God and hope for humanity.
Grant that your love may reach out to the wounded,
the disabled, the mentally distressed,
and those whose faith has been shaken by what
they have seen and endured.
Comfort all who mourn the death of loved ones,
and all who this day miss the comradeship of friends.
Grant that we who bear your Son’s name
may be instruments of your peace,
bringing peace to our homes, our Nation and our World.
The Reverend Godfrey Hilliard served as the
Chaplain with 40 Commando Royal Marines during the Falkland’s
Conflict.
In 1996 he was involved in active duty on HMS Illustrious during
the conflict in the former Yugoslavia.
From 1990-1993 he was the Chaplain at HMS Sultan, Gosport, and
is currently the Church of England Chaplain at HM Naval Base,
Portsmouth.
Reverend Hilliard lives in Southsea with his wife and two
children. His wife, Helen, teaches at Bay House School, Gosport. |
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