Port Howard
Encyclopedia
West Falkland
West Falkland is the second largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. It is a hilly island, separated from East Falkland by Falkland Sound. Its area is and its coastline is long. Including the adjacent small islands the land area is .-Population:The island has fewer than 200...
(unless Fox Bay
Fox Bay
Fox Bay is the second largest settlement on West Falkland in the Falkland Islands. It is located on a bay of the same name, and is on the south east coast of the island...
is taken as one settlement, instead of two). it is in the east of the island, on an inlet of Falkland Sound
Falkland Sound
The Falkland Sound is a sea strait in the Falkland Islands. Running south west - north east, it separates West and East Falkland.-Name:The sound was named by John Strong in 1690 for Viscount Falkland, the name only later being applied to the archipelago and its two largest islands...
. It is on the lower slopes of Mount Maria
Mount Maria
Mount Maria is a mountain of the Hornby Mountains, adjacent to Port Howard, on West Falkland island . It reaches a height of approximately 658 metres ....
(part of the Hornby Mountains range).
Port Howard is the centre of a 200000 acre-square-kilometre (200,000-acre) 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
Stanley, Falkland Islands
Stanley is the capital and only true cityin the Falkland Islands. It is located on the isle of East Falkland, on a north-facing slope in one of the wettest parts of the islands. At the 2006 census, the city had a population of 2,115...
, and it is also 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
East Falkland
East Falkland the largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, has an area of and a coastline long. Most of the population of the Falklands live in East Falkland, almost all of them living in the northern half of the island...
and West Falkland, Port Howard is at the Northern end of the West Falkland network. Attractions in the settlement include a golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
, a ford, and large sheep shearing
Sheep shearing
Sheep shearing, shearing or clipping is the process by which the woollen fleece of a sheep is cut off. The person who removes the sheep's wool is called a shearer. Typically each adult sheep is shorn once each year...
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
Warrah River
Warrah River is one of the two largest watercourses on West Falkland. It is named after the Falkland Island Fox or "Warrah". The last Warrah was shot on this island in 1876....
and Chartres River
Chartres River
Chartres River is one of the two largest watercourses on West Falkland, along with the Warrah River. It is fairly popular with anglers....
are nearby fishing rivers.
History
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
, but left the farm under local management. In 1986, it was bought by Robin and Rodney Lee, who let the local population buy shares.
In 1956, JL Waldron Ltd built a school at Port Howard, possibly inspired by the "gift" of the FIC at Darwin, a few years earlier.
There is one listed building here, the Mount Rosalie Dip.
Falklands War
During the Falklands WarFalklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
, the settlement was occupied by around 1,000 Argentine troops, most of these from the Fifth Motorized Infantry
Mobile infantry
Mobile infantry is one of several military terms usually referring to infantry units equipped with vehicles.Before the development of railroads in the 19th century, infantry armies got to the battlefield by walking, or sometimes by ship...
Regiment. 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
Battle of Mount Tumbledown
The Battle of Mount Tumbledown was an engagement in the Falklands War, one of a series of battles that took place during the British advance towards Stanley.-Overview:...
which was written by an anonymous Scots Guard.
On 21 May, a RAF Harrier, piloted by Lt. Jeffrey Glover, was shotdown by a Blowpipe missile
Blowpipe missile
The Shorts Blowpipe is a man-portable surface-to-air missile which was in use with the British Army and Royal Marines from 1975. It was superseded by an interim design, Javelin, and later the greatly improved Starstreak missile.-Description:...
fired by members of the 601 Commando Company
601 Commando Company
The 601 Commando Company is a special operations unit of the Argentine Army, created January 5, 1982. It was based on the original "Equipo Especial Halcón 8" created by Lt. Colonel Mohamed Alí Seineldín in 1978....
. On 26 May, at least four Argentine soldiers were killed and several wounded after another Harrier raid found its mark.
The British SAS
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
had a secret observation post on Many Branch Point, a ridge above Port Howard, which was discovered on 10 June, by an Argentine Assault Section, part of 601 Commando Company. During the ensuing fire fight, Captain John Hamilton was killed, and his Goan signaller, Sergeant Fonseca captured. That night witnessed the inaccurate shelling carried out by British frigates on Port Howard. It led to speculation among Argentinian officers that the mission of Hamilton was to act as Naval Gunfire Support Forward Observer (NGSFO). Hamilton's grave can still be seen up the hill from Port Howard. Unusually, the Argentines allowed for the Union Flag
Union Flag
The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...
to be placed on his coffin before burial, in recognition for his perceived bravery.
On June 15, one day after the main Argentine surrender
Falklands War Argentine surrender
The last stage of the Falklands War was the surrender of the Argentine Governor at Port Stanley.-Background:With the last natural defence line at Mount Tumbledown breached, the Argentine town defences of Port Stanley began to falter. In the morning gloom, one company commander got lost and his...
, the garrison surrendered to the Royal Marines of B Coy
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
, 40 Commando
40 Commando
40 Commando RM is a battalion sized formation of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within 3 Commando Brigade, the principal Commando formation, under the Operational Command of Commander in Chief Fleet....
and HMS Cardiff
HMS Cardiff (D108)
HMS Cardiff was a British Type 42 destroyer and the third ship of the Royal Navy to be named in honour of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff. Construction was started by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, and completed by Swan Hunter in Tyne and Wear...
.