Cathedral Land Rover

By Rev. Harry Bagnall
(Falkland Islands Newsletter, No.37, December 1988)

I took over the Land Rover when I arrived in the Islands in 1979.  The vehicle was a great blessing which enabled me to travel over parts of East Falkland.  It was also a great boon in our seasonal fuel gathering, as it towed many loads of peat to the Deanery.  When the invasion came in 1982 I was able to continue using the Rover for a week or two, although the garage in which it normally lived was taken over by the Argentines to house an oil-fired oven.  Petrol was in short supply and there was a possibility of vehicles being commandeered, although the threat was greater to diesel engine Rovers.  To prevent the Cathedral Rover disappearing, I disabled it behind the Upland Goose Hotel.  It was a suitable hiding place and the owner of the hotel, at that time Mr King, allowed me to leave it there.

When petrol became available again in June 1982, the Rover was again on the road and later, when the road to Mount Pleasant Airport was under construction, I was glad to have my own transport.  For a period of two to three years I went each week to spend twenty-four hours with the work force of 'LMA' and 'WTW'.  On occasion the mechanics of 'LMA' were a great help if I had a problem with the vehicle.  Eventually, when the Airport was officially opened by HRH Prince Andrew, my wife and I together with the late Monsignor Spraggon travelled to the event in the Cathedral's blue Rover.

I left the Islands in April 1986 and at that time the vehicle was in good running order and should continue for some years.

Reverend Harry Bagnall, a former butcher, was Rector of Christchurch Cathedral, Stanley from 1979 to 1986.  After leaving the Falkland Islands he became Rector of the village of Hook by Goole in North Humberside.  His account of the Falklands War was published as 'Faith Under Fire'.

This article first appeared in the Falkland Islands Newsletter, Edition 37, December 1988.  The Falkland Islands Association is an independent organisation which brings together those who support the continuing freedom of the people of the Falkland Islands.  Its Constitution states that its objectives are to assist the people of the Falkland Islands to decide their own future for themselves without being subjected to pressure direct or indirect from any quarter.

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