Falklands War
At the start of the 1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands, Hunt made his official residence, Government House in Port Stanley, the operational headquarters for the Royal Marines. He sent his family and domestic staff away to safer houses with only their most valuable possessions. His housekeeper took a picture of the Queen and a bottle of gin. Government House quickly became the site of an engagement between the Royal Marines garrison and the Argentine navy's commandos. Hunt gave the order to lay down arms, before going to Stanley Town Hall, wearing his dress uniform and plumed helmet, to meet the Argentine commander, Vice-Admiral Carlos Büsser. "You have landed unlawfully on British territory and I order you to remove yourself and your troops forthwith," said Hunt. He was captured by the Argentinian invasion force and expelled from the islands to Uruguay. Four hours later Hunt was on a plane to Montevideo, Uruguay. He remained away during the occupation.
Read more about this topic: Rex Hunt (governor)
Famous quotes containing the words falklands and/or war:
“If we were doing this in the Falklands they would love it. It’s part of our heritage. The British have always been fighting wars.”
—British soccer fan. quoted in Independent (London, Dec. 23, 1988)
“There’s no telling what might have happened to our defense budget if Saddam Hussein hadn’t invaded Kuwait that August and set everyone gearing up for World War II½. Can we count on Saddam Hussein to come along every year and resolve our defense-policy debates? Given the history of the Middle East, it’s possible.”
—P.J. (Patrick Jake)