Two thousand and twelve is the 30th anniversary of the Falklands conflict and a BBC documentary has highlighted an important meeting that was held at Caerhays Castle in advance of the war.
Fronted by author and journalist Sir Max Hastings, the programme will be aired in April and he and the crew were at Caerhays on bank holiday Monday to record the Caerhays segment.

Sir Max Hastings in the library of Caerhays Castle
where the meeting took place.

Caerhays Castle is located in a sheltered valley overlooking Porthluney Cove on the South Cornish Coast, equidistant from Truro and St Austell.

Sir Max covered the Falklands war and was the first journalist into Port Stanley following the British troops’ victory.

The documentary he is now making covers the build-up to the war, the politics – both national and international – and the fallout.

Sir John Nott – Secretary of State for Defence at the time and MP for St Ives – had decided to sell off several ships; one was the carrier HMS Invincible, which was later destined for the Royal Australian Navy.

It was part of a money-saving exercise and was opposed by many powerful people and organisations.

The First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Henry Leach, was one of those voices and had argued many times for the carrier to be retained.

In his book which describes those times, the former minister wrote:

“Just as I was departing for my constituency one Thursday afternoon in November 1981, Henry Leach asked to see me about Invincible.”

There was, he said: “Nothing more to discuss.”

But he felt it necessary to meet the First Sea Lord and the crucial get-together was held at Caerhays Castle.

There ensued, said Sir Max, “a colossal row between Nott and the First Sea Lord who argued passionately that Thatcher was wrong to sell Invincible.”

The minister stuck to his guns. He recalled:

“Henry trundled out all the same old arguments that had been advanced in favour of the carrier ever since the Healey review in the mid-1960s... I confirmed to Henry Leach in the morning that I could not change my decision on Invincible.”

In the BBC2 programme, Sir Max says:

“The First Sea Lord could have saved his train fare.”

In fact, by the time of the Falklands conflict, the carrier was still in British ownership and went on to play a highly significant role in the campaign.

Recalling his time in the Falklands, Sir Max said:

“It was the most romantic adventure of my life and demonstrated how Brits can do some things really well.

“It was a one-off. Quite extraordinary and did wonders for the self-confidence of the British people.”

Sir Max Hastings on Porthluney Cove beach during
the filming of the Falklands documentary.

The war galvanised the nation, he said, and generated a sense of national pride. But 30 years on, he doubted that there had been any lasting effect.

Privately, Sir Max Hastings is a frequent visitor to Caerhays. In the programme he will be seen in the library, where the meeting was held, in the grounds, gardens and on the beach at Porthluney Cove, which forms part of the estate.


“It is a terrific place. One of the most remarkable places in the whole of England,” he said.