Falkland Islanders Hold Thatcher Memorial

Several hundred Falkland Islanders have attended a memorial service for Baroness Thatcher - a woman they regard as their saviour.

Christ Church Cathedral in the capital Stanley was packed, a measure of the esteem in which she is held in the islands.

Members of the British military, whose predecessors evicted the Argentinian invaders in 1982, also attended the service in uniform.

Everyone in the Falklands had been given a day off work to allow them to pay their respects, so almost a fifth of the population were in the cathedral or an overspill hall.

Ian Hanson, a member of the Falkland Islands Assembly, gave the tribute.

He said: "In the case of the Falklands, her conviction that standing up for justice and freedom was the right thing to do, may have made her difficult decisions easier.

"We must give thanks for that conviction and for her strength of character. Because of her courage, and the skill, bravery and sacrifice of Britain's armed forces, our liberty and our future were secured.

"Lady Thatcher's legacy in our Islands goes much further than our liberation.

"She made the UK's position on the Falklands very clear; there would be no negotiation over the Falkland Islands unless and until the Islanders wished it.

"This has ensured that subsequent British governments, regardless of political affiliation, have publicly reaffirmed the right of Falkland Islanders to determine their own future.

"More than 30 years on, the support of the current British Government could not be stronger."

Many of those in the congregation had met Mrs Thatcher personally during her two visits to the Islands.

One of them, Don Bonner, had his own special memories. He was the chauffeur and the butler to the Governor, so had the task of driving Margaret and Denis Thatcher around Stanley.

He told Sky News: "We drove up to Government House and of course people were on the streets.

"One fellow rushed out and gave her a red rose. She's God to us really. She liberated us. Would any other prime minister have done what she done?"

Many Islanders got up early to watch the St Paul's Cathedral funeral on television. It was shown at 7am local time.

Alias Heathman watched it with her two daughters, son-in-law and three grandchildren.

She told Sky News: "She was really our hero in our hour of need. 1982. Everybody holds her with great affection and we will be forever grateful to her."

With her popularity at an all-time low and criticism over the defence of the islands in the South Atlantic, she ordered a Task Force to set sail to retake them.

Ten weeks later the Argentinian forces surrendered but only after 255 British serviceman had been killed.

More than 600 Argentinians and three islanders also lost their lives.

The Falklands factor and a surge of patriotic support transformed Mrs Thatcher's popularity and she won a second term with an overwhelming majority the following year.

As Mr Hanson told the congregation: "Today’s modern Falkland Islands is forward looking, internally self-governing and financially self-sufficient.

"There is perhaps no greater legacy to a prime minister who was not afraid to stand up for freedom and justice, than the people and community she allowed us to become.

"One thing is certain, in the Falkland Islands her memory will never be forgotten. Margaret Thatcher - What a woman! What a leader! What a friend!"