The Falkland Islands

26th August 2021 The Falklands and Ascension Islands – Barry Newman

Barry had circulated maps to give us an appreciation of the distances involved when the company he worked for acquired a contract from the MOD to improve the infrastructures and manage the logistics of that very challenging task!

The Ascension Islands are 4400 miles from RAF Brize Norton, but in a prime strategic position between Africa and S. America, a British possession, it is one of three constituent parts of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha quite important when Napoleon was around, with St. Helena a mere 800 miles away to the SE! A volcanic, tropical Island about ¼ the size of Rutland, with little water, no trees, no natural resources or manufacturing.

RAF Ascension Island, also known as Wideawake Airfield, is a military airfield and facility located on Ascension Island in the Atlantic Ocean. The airfield is jointly operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the United States Space Force (USSF). Established in 1942 by the Americans, it purportedly had the longest runway in the Southern hemisphere.
The facility is home to a U.S. Space Force ground tracking station in support of the Eastern Range and rocket launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

However, they are visited by around 3000 giant Green Turtles each year that come to lay their eggs on the beaches.

Moving onwards to the Falkland Islands, an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf, approximately 4700 square miles in total, with a population of around 3400, although many work overseas. The main industry now is fishing with a very busy port and ship repair operation for Tall ships, but still with around 600 000 sheep another important contributor. However, the construction of the Panama Canal in 1905 saved ships an extra 8000 miles travelling around Cape Horn, impacting on the port operation.

RAF Mount Pleasant was where all the items that had to be imported arrived, from lamp bulbs to all types of material you can imagine. Barry’s most challenging task was to get hold of and deliver a part for a giant Dishwasher that had broken down and responsible for washing sufficient dishes to maintain feeding 400 people  3 times a day! The machine was of Italian origin and he managed to acquire the necessary component, get it transported to RAF Brize Norton and delivered the 19 hour trip to The Falklands, quick as you like!

We were then shown a video which put across the vast array of birds (Albatross), Rock hopper penguins and marine life imaginable. Back on the sheep issue, it showed the professional shearers who could shear up to 358 sheep in one day, how peat was dug and used for heating and the fact that Stanley, the capital, attracts Cruise liners and tourists.  On the transport front, with such difficult terrain, flying is popular, provided by FIGAS (Falkland Islands Government Air Service) and apparently the Islands have the highest number of 4 x 4 vehicles per head of population in the World!

Gerry gave the Vote of thanks indicating that the talk was most informative and although knowing Barry for 30 plus years didn’t realise he had been involved with the Falklands and despite the impression that most of us had from the war scenes of 1982, Barry had managed to ‘bring it to life’ with a different perspective, all on his Birthday…. and members joined with their appreciation.                              AR