Sir Cosmo Haskard,who has died aged 100, was Governor of the Falkland Islands in the late 1960s when the Labour government of Harold Wilson was attempting to persuade the 2,000 islanders to cede sovereignty to Argentina, which had long claimed the islands.

When he was appointed governor in 1964, he was delighted at being posted to a quiet colony whose austere charms reminded him of his home in Co Cork. But even while he was sailing out with his wife and two-year-old son, a lone Argentine pilot landed at Port Stanley to plant his countrys flag, while Panorama, an Argentine magazine, carried a picture of him with the caption El ultimo gobernador ingles? (The last English governor?).

On settling in, Haskard recommended that a platoon of Royal Marines remain on the islands and personally visited farms by float plane or on horseback. He revived the annual horticultural show, started a winter...

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Sir Cosmo Haskard, popular Governor of the Falkland Islands obituary - Telegraph.co.uk