Falklands 40: Headlines from The News, Portsmouth, on June 16, 1982

Prisoners face death in cold

Hundreds of Argentine prisoners on the Falkland Islands could die from malnutrition, hypothermia, and disease unless Argentina declares an immediate end to all hostilities, Rear-Admiral "Sandy" Woodward warned today.

The task force commander's grim words came after the Argentine junta had still not confirmed whether it accepted that there was a total cessation of hostilities.

He said that the 15,000 Argentine troops who had surrendered to British forces now posed a problem of disaster proportions to him.

‘But, with the 8,000-mile supply lines and the task force itself still threatened by the Argentine Navy and Air Force, the problems of bringing medical aid, food supplies, warm clothing, and shelter are increased to the point of impossibility.

‘This is a problem of the Argentinians' own making. It was foolishness to put 15,000 troops out on a limb where they could not be re-supplied,’ Admiral Woodward said in a Press statement.

‘They are already suffering from malnutrition, exposure - in some cases hypothermia - trench foot, scabies, and diarrhoea brought on by lack of food and pure water, proper clothing, shelter, and sanitation.

‘There is no way I can shelter these numbers. Even feeding them for a week in present circumstances presents huge problems - not just of supplies but of cooking and distribution and hygiene as well.

‘Meanwhile, conditions are getting worse as winter arrives. There is a Force Ten gale at sea and blizzards on the islands,’ said Admiral Woodward.

‘Thus I have my usual defensive problem and now a major disaster relief problem on top.’

Ship was hit by Exocet

The destroyer, HMS Glamorgan was hit by a shore-launched Exocet missile on Saturday, not by artillery fire, as was first thought, the Defence Ministry confirmed today.

The French-built missile, fired from a coastal battery positioned near Port Stanley, hit the Royal Navy ship's gallery section, causing 13 deaths and 17 injuries.

It is believed that other Exocets were fired from batteries around the Falklands capital but failed to hit their target, probably because they were decoyed by false radar echoes.

Every Royal Navy ship carried Corvus rocket-launchers, which launch hundreds of tiny strips of metal foil - called chaff - which can mislead an attacking missile into heading away from the target ship.

Galtieri suffers backlash of hate

Public anger at Argentina's surrender in the Falklands sparked a hate filled demonstration against the country's military rulers in Buenos Aires last night.

Police fired salvoes of tear gas to disperse a 7,000-strong crowd outside the Presidential Palace shouting, ‘sons of bitches’ and ‘the military dictatorship is going to end’.

The independent news agency, Noticias Argentinas, said dozens of people were injured and arrested after running battles with baton-wielding police.

The agency described it as the worst street disturbances in the capital since the military ousted the populist Peronist Government in 1976.

All the fun of the fair

Thousands of task force families crowded into a Southsea funfair yesterday for a free-for-all.

For nine hours, mothers, wives, and countless children streamed into the Fun Acres amusement park at Clarence Pier to take advantage of the owners' offer of free rides for task force families.

‘It was absolutely tremendous. It was like a Bank Holiday last night. Things would have gone on much longer if the rain hadn't arrived,’ said a spokesman for the amusement park.

An estimated 4,000 people took up the company's offer and arrived in their coachloads to eat candyfloss and hot dogs and whirl around on the dodgems, helter-skelter and big wheel.