London Victory Parade of 1982
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The London Victory Parade of 1982 was a British victory parade held after the defeat of Argentina in the Falklands War. It took place in the United Kingdom capital of London, mainly encompassing a military parade with military bands through the City of London. The parade took place on 12 October 1982, almost four months after the Argentine surrender.
The parade started at Armoury House and ended up at the Guildhall.[1] Approximately 300,000 people lined the mile-long route of the parade.[1] There was some controversy when the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher took the salute of the forces as they marched pass the portico of Mansion House, rather than the Queen (who, along with the rest of the Royal Family, was not present). The Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, Michael Foot, was standing next to Thatcher and was seen whistling to the various tunes played by the bands.[2]
After the parade there was a Salute to the Task Force luncheon at the Guildhall in which Mrs. Thatcher gave a speech:
We, the British people, are proud of what has been done, proud of these heroic pages in our island story, proud to be here today to salute the task force. Proud to be British.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Klaud Dodds, Pink Ice: Britain and the South Atlantic Empire (I B Tauris, 2002), p. 174.
