The Prime Minister has been spending her first full day in the Falklands meeting the troops sent out to guard the Islands—and getting a first-hand impression of how well the work of defence and rehabilitation is going. Mrs Thatcher's first engagement today was a visit to the airfield at Stanley, where she met RAF personnel, and members of the Royal Engineers who've been rebuilding the runway. Later, it was a short helicopter flight to a beach still littered with Argentine mines, so that she could see for herself the dangers facing the troops and the islanders. Our reporter, Nicholas Witchell, has been with her throughout the day: [end p1]
Witchell
After a night's rest in her heavily protected residence, the Prime Minister spent this morning touring RAF Stanley. She inspected the six-thousand foot long prefabricated runway and watched phantoms being scrambled on a mock alert. Then, across the airfield, she was shown the harriers, most of them the planes which took part in the Falklands conflict:
Witchell
Mrs Thatcher, you've just been seeing the Harriers here, obviously you've seen them before in Britain but rather special to see them here.
Thatcher
O, very special and the interesting thing is at the moment that they had a very big gale a few days ago, some of them were damaged and they've overcome everything and they are all back in service again and they feel a tremendous sense of achievement—they really are marvellous.
Witchell
You've now had an opportunity to see a little bit of the islands, what are your first impressions?
Thatcher
Well we always knew the forces were fantastic out they're even more fantastic and even more superb than one could ever have imagined. They achieve the impossible.
Witchell
And obviously a very special experience for you to be here just now.
Thatcher
Very special. I've heard all about this airfield I've heard the marvellous things they've done but to see it, to see it is wonderful. And to see the hills, whose names I know so well, we'll be going up there soon. But they've done a fantastic job on this airfield, everyone in Britain can be very proud and everyone in the Falklands is utterly thrilled.
Witchell
The visit has now become a barnstorming if bumpy tour around different units. The garrison's work is continuing as normal. Suddenly the prime minister's convoy pulls up, airmen and soldiers are called to group around and after a few words Mrs Thatcher is back in her vehicle and on to the next site. Among other things today she was shown the work going on to prepare a location for the floating hotel. Later men from the Royal Engineers showed her a beach which is still littered with Argentine mines. It is a visit full of vivid experiences. Mrs Thatcher has said that having now covered the eight thousand mile journey herself she has a very much better impression of the problems supporting these Islands, She has also had a taste of Falklands weather—one moment the skies were clear and there was warm sunshine, a few moments later the visitors were caught in a fierce hailstorm. Nicholas Witchell, BBC. Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands.