Port Howard
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Port Howard (Spanish/Argentine name: Puerto Mitre; sometimes Puerto Howard in Spanish) is the largest settlement on West Falkland (unless Fox Bay is taken as one settlement, instead of two). it is in the east of the island, on an inlet of Falkland Sound. It is on the lower slopes of Mount Maria (part of the Hornby Mountains range).
Port Howard is the centre of a 200,000 acre (800 km²) sheep farm, with twenty permanent residents and over 42,000 sheep. Sometimes this population is doubled by transitory residents.
The settlement has two airstrips which receive regular flights from Stanley, and it is also destined to be the West Terminal of the new East-West Ferry. Over the past 15 years the Falkland Islands Government has built a network of all weather roads around East and West Falkland, Port Howard is at the Northern end of the West Falkland network. Attractions in the settlement include a golf course, a ford, and large sheep shearing sheds. There is also a dairy here. Many of the houses have attractive green roofs, and there are also a number of hedges about.
Every three years, Port Howard hosts the West Falklands Sports. This week-long celebration of the end of the shearing season combines serious horse-racing with other festivities.
The Warrah River and Chartres River are nearby fishing rivers.
[edit] History
Port Howard was founded by James Lovegrove Waldron, and his brother in 1866; the Waldron brothers later left for Patagonia, but left the far under local management. In 1986, it was bought by Robin and Rodney Lee, who let the local population buy shares. [1]
In 1956, J.L. Waldron Ltd built a school at Port Howard, possibly inspired by the "gift" of the FIC at Darwin, a few years earlier.[2]
During the Falklands War, the settlement was occupied by around 1,000 troops. A small museum has been set up, in a shed. It contains a number of items which Argentine troops left behind, including an ejector seat. Pinned to the wall, is a poem, Ode to Tumbledown which was written by an anonymous Scots Guard. [1]
The British SAS had a secret observation post above Port Howard, which was discovered on 10th June, by an Argentine Assault Section, part of Comando 601 company. During the ensuing fire fight, Captain John Hamilton was killed, and his Goan signaller, Sergeant Fonseca captured. [3] Hamilton's grave can still be seen up the hill from Port Howard. Unusually, the Argentines allowed for a Union Jack to be placed on his coffin before burial, in recognition for his perceived bravery.
The garrison surrendered to HMS Cardiff on June 15, 1982 (one day after the main Argentine surrender).[4]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Wigglesworth, Angela. (1992) Falkland People. Pub. Peter Owen. ISBN 0-7206-0850-3
- ^ Strange, Ian (1983) The Falkland Islands
- ^ Bicheno, Hugh (2006) Razor's Edge: The Unofficial History of the Falklands War. London. Weidenfield & Nicholson. ISBN-13 978-0-7538-2186-2
- ^ Report of Proceedings. hmscardiff.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
[edit] External links
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