Posted on 11/14/2012 6:30:45 PM PST by iowamark
Sir Rex Hunt, who was governor of the Falkland Islands during the Argentine invasion in 1982 which triggered the Falklands War, has died aged 86.
A statement said Sir Rex, who had retired to Stockton on Tees, died in hospital on Sunday night.
The Legislative Assembly of the Falklands said he would be forever remembered for his years of service.
He was captured by the Argentine invasion force during the Falklands War and expelled from the islands.
He was granted the Freedom Of Stanley in 1985 to recognise his contributions to the islands.
Sir Rex, who grew up in Redcar in North Yorkshire, took up his post as governor of the island in 1980. Task force
After Argentine forces landed on the islands in April 2 1982, Sir Rex took the difficult decision to order the token group of British marines defending the territory to surrender.
He put on his full ceremonial uniform and told the invading commander: "You have landed unlawfully on British territory and I order you to remove yourself and your troops forthwith."
The Argentines, who call the islands Las Malvinas and say they are an integral part of their country, expelled Sir Rex to Uruguay, and he was later flown back to spend the war in the UK.
The islands recapture was completed by a British task force on June 14.
Sir Rex, who had joined what was then called the Colonial Service in 1952 after service in the RAF, continued to serve as Governor of the Falkands until 1985.
Interviewed in 2007, he was full of praise for the prime minister of the time Margaret Thatcher and the First Sea Lord Sir Henry Leach for acting swiftly to dispatch a task force to recover the islands.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
He put on his full ceremonial uniform and told the invading commander: “You have landed unlawfully on British territory and I order you to remove yourself and your troops forthwith.”
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Gotta love it. RIP Sir Rex Hunt. You had style and grit.
So the invasion triggered the war... I would have thought that an invasion was war
...and thus the demise of the USS Phoenix CL-46 a model of which can be seen in the Phoenix Airport.
Me too... bit apparently 4-star Al Haig had a different definition.
He put on his full ceremonial uniform and told the invading commander: You have landed unlawfully on British territory and I order you to remove yourself and your troops forthwith.
Come to think of it, Bathhouse Berry, Drama Queen could have used that line. Unfortunately he didn't have Al Qaeda's twitter account.
Course he would have had to wear his spider-man pajamas instead of his uniform. We don't respect him enough to arm him and give him one of those.
He put on his full ceremonial uniform and told the invading commander: “You have landed unlawfully on British territory and I order you to remove yourself and your troops forthwith.
”Wow,, that was a different era. ANd not even so long ago.
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