Walter Finch
IT was a military mishap that left one side sheepish and the other grumbling.
But on February 17 in 2002, a group of Royal Marines staged what could be described as the most accidental invasion in British history, when they mistakenly landed on the Spanish side of the border instead of Gibraltar.
The marines were conducting a routine exercise, aiming to storm a beach of the British Overseas Territory on a morning of exceptionally poor visibility that shrouded even the Rock.
However, their navigation was slightly off, and instead of stepping onto Gibraltar’s shores on Western Beach, they found themselves on San Felipe beach where the car park is located near the border with La Línea de la Concepción.
READ MORE: How Franco’s decision to close the Gibraltar border backfired: ‘Now we’re more British than ever’
Oblivious to the blunder, the troops moved to secure the area, only to be met by a group of bemused Spanish fishermen, who quickly pointed out that they were, in fact, in Spain.
Realising their mistake, the marines had to confer for a moment before making a swift and orderly retreat onto their boat and backtracking towards Gibraltar before the situation could escalate.
The incident, though minor, prompted an official complaint from the Spanish government.
Lord West, First Sea Lord at the time of the incident, told the BBC ‘it wasn’t one of the best days in my time.’
“I had a phone call from the military commander saying, ‘Sir, I’m afraid something awful’s happened.’
“I thought, ‘Goodness me, what?’ And he said, ‘I’m afraid we’ve invaded Spain, but we don’t think they’ve noticed’.”
Lord West explained that the troops had ‘charged up the beach in the normal way, being Royal Marines—they’re frightfully good soldiers of course, and jolly good at this sort of thing—and confronted a Spanish fisherman who sort of pointed out, ‘I think you’re on the wrong beach’.’
“And they all scrambled back in their boats and went away again. So I immediately had to get on to the Foreign Office and the governor of Gibraltar.
“We have very good links, actually, with the Spanish military, and I talked to them and they understand, because people make cock-ups, don’t they.
“Luckily the Spanish government people didn’t make some thing out of it.
“Because I’m afraid, historically, they have occasionally stirred things up and made trouble over Gibraltar, and I’m glad to say that didn’t happen.
“But it was only 30 of them as well. If I’d put 2,000 ashore it might’ve been a bit more tricky.”
