Falkland Islands 40: headlines June 8, 1982, as the war drew to a close

THE Prince of Wales today personally thanked the culinary guys from the Admiralty Surface Weapons Institution for their dedicated support to the Falkland Islands Task Force.

During the two and a half hours tour of the top secret Portsdown Hill The Prince met with scientists, engineers, workshops and administration staff who worked around the clock to help Royal Navy ships in their battle with the Argentine Air Force.

Before visiting Portsdown Hill, Prince Charles visited the ASWE departure station in Funtington, near Chichester.

He then drove his blue Aston Martin sports car to ASWE headquarters in Portsdown Hill, where office staff greeted him as he climbed the steps to be met by Kenneth Slater, ASWE Director.

Mr. Slater was accompanied by Dr. David Keeley, Director of Surface Arms (Marine) Projects, Captain Mike Jones, Senior Naval Officer ASWE, and Captain John Cunningham, Captain for Surface Arms Acceptance.

The personal standard of the prince was raised when he mingled with the staff before going into the main building to sign a book of visitors.

Prince Charles was shown examples of “rapid response” produced at ASWE to counter threats posed by Argentine tactics and equipment, including the deadly Exocet sea-shooting missile that maimed the HHMS Sheffield destroyer. (writes Reg Bates, defense correspondent for The News).

In close collaboration with high-tech firms in the defense industry, ASWE boffins produced new electronic equipment for ships and units of the Royal Marines with astonishing speed.

The designs were designed, manufactured and transported to the fleet within days.

British forces today continued to close the network to the besieged Argentine garrison in Port Stanley.

In the busy hours before any major assault on the Falkland Islands capital, advanced patrols of British troops “face to face” with some of the defenders.

Official sources and correspondence of correspondents show that, despite the terrible weather, the British secured key positions almost on the threshold of the enemy.

British naval and ground forces control the north of East Falkland, and a large number of shops, guns and ammunition have been dumped there.

British artillery can now reach Stanley airfield, helping to close the 7,000-strong garrison from oversupply.

President Reagan said today in a historic address in both houses of parliament that British young people are fighting for a cause in the Falkland Islands, not “for simple real estate”.

Speaking from the Royal Gallery, the President said: “Young people are fighting for Britain on distant islands in the South Atlantic. And, yes, voices have been raised protesting against their sacrifice for lumps of stone and earth so far away. But these young people are fighting not only for real estate.

“They are fighting for the cause, for the belief that the success of armed aggression cannot be allowed.”

The Prince of Wales proved to be the right royal choice as president of the Mary Rose Foundation.

So says Alexander McKee, a man from Hailing Island who rediscovered the once-forgotten Tudor warship in Solent in 1968.

With £ 800,000 still to be taken ashore, the ship’s hull late this summer, Mr McKee paid tribute to the “excellent public response” to the scheme.

But he says Prince Charles has played a key role in raising £ 1.2 million in recent months.

“Mary Rose has received great support, but the prince has done much more than draw people’s attention to the ship,” Mr McKee said.