George Mathias
AN exhibition to mark the 40 year anniversary of the Falklands war was held in Gibraltar.
Launched by the Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Garcia at the John Mackintosh Hall, it showed photographs, press clippings, and testimonials from veterans detailing the last time Britain participated in a war against a foreign power on its own.
The exhibition was made possible through the Gibraltar National Archives and is made up of 200 PVC panels displaying almost 500 images as well as uniforms and military gear from veterans who fought.
Photo: Wikipedia.
Anthony Pitaluga, curator of the exhibition, said: “These people were there to protect freedom, democracy, and self-determination.”
Garcia said there was a strong bond between Girbaltarians and Falkland Islanders.
“Our history, and that of the Falkland Islands, are interwoven throughout this episode. In many ways, the war to liberate the Falklands became our war also. A territory, however small, cannot simply be handed over to the giant neighbours against the wishes of its people,” he said.
The war over the Falkland Islands, or Malvinas as Argentinians call it, was fought began April 2 1982 and cost 907 lives.
Whilst the war resulted in a British victory, the dispute over the islands sovereignty continues to this day with the Argentinian ambassador describing the war on Monday as an ‘open wound’.
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