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Port Stanley was the tiny capital of a British colony known to few
beyond the world of stamp collecting. But then, suddenly, in April
1982, it was the place-name on everyone's lips. The outcome of a
war, for which Britain had mobilised its most powerful task force
since 1945, would be decided by the flag which flew over the
corrugated iron and timber cottages of Stanley. The town became the
epicentre of a ferocious conflict. Many islanders left the town
following the invasion. But a few hundred remained. Among them was
Graham Bound, who was then the editor of the Islands' only
newspaper. This book is based on his journal, written during the
occupation and siege. Such was the intensity of the fighting for
the town, that the Ministry of Defence in London announced that it
would be on the receiving end of the heaviest artillery bombardment
since the Korean War . The journals were stored, untouched and
unread, for 39 years, before the author rediscovered them and
prepared them for publication. Among the notebooks were unprocessed
photographs that he took at the time. Some of these never-before
seen photos are published in this book. This is a detailed account
of the Falklands war, in particular the siege of Stanley, from an
islander's point of view.
Falkland Islanders were the first British people to come under
enemy occupation since the Channel Islanders during the Second
World War. This book tells how islanders' warnings were ignored in
London, how their slim defences gave way to a massive invasion, and
how they survived occupation. While some established a cautiously
pragmatic modus vivendi with the occupiers, some Islanders opted
for active resistance. Others joined advancing British troops,
transporting ammunition and leading men to the battlefields.
Islanders' leaders and 'trouble makers' faced internal exile, and
whole settlements were imprisoned, becoming virtual hostages. A new
chapter about Falklands history since 1982 reveals that while the
Falklands have benefited greatly from Britain's ongoing commitment
to them, a cold war continues in the south Atlantic. To the
annoyance of the Argentines, the islands have prospered, and may
now be poised on the brink of an oil bonanza.
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