Re: 100,000 Argentines of British origin live in Argentina.

On Fri, 30 Mar 2007 13:11:11 GMT, "Conway Caine"
<ccaine@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


"The Highlander" <micheil@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:itep03trivt4pnes14d4t6jm02r92ilsfh@xxxxxxxxxx
Briton tells of fight for Argentinian side
<Snip>

I recently saw a documentary about the 200,000 or so Welsh descendents still
living in Patagonia.

They used to pop up regularly on BBC Welsh TV when I was in *ngland.
The old people still spoke Welsh, the younger ones preferred Spanish.
Some speak English from having taken it as a second language at
school, but as they were never an English speaking people, there is no
tradition of English among them. It was interesting to see the Welsh
names on the local stores and streets, like Calle Williams, Cantina
Evans, and towns like Trelew and Puerto Madryn.

I wondered then how many of them might have seen service in the Falkland
war.

No doubt some must have been conscripted.

The Argentinian Air Force is a crack unit - some of the pilots are
racing car drivers and as good pilots as anyone Europe had to offer.

Argentina is also full of Italians; probably the biggest immigrant
group. Plus the inevitable Scots. It must be a tough situation, being
ordered to kill people you regard as relatives.

As it happens, I had Argentinian friends at that time. We made a deal
that we wouldn't discuss the war and we remained friends until they
finally went back to Argentina after Galtieri fell. I'm indebted to
them for lending me some old records of Spain's greatest flamenco duo
to copy; Sabicas and Carmen Amaya.

Sabicas y Carmen Amaya - y Tus Labios
http://tinyurl.com/329f25

I have mentioned before that in the 1950s there were three
Gaelic-language churches in business in Argentina. I have no idea
whether they are still there, but I do know that there are several
Hebridean Free Church missionaries there, working with the poor and
the local Indios.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/welsh/default.stm

Go to the bottom right hand side of the URL above and find
NEWYDDION (news), then click on Radio Cymru to hear Welsh being
spoken. Another useful word if you get lost is "Saesneg" (English).


.

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