Lord John Fieldhouse; British Commander in Falklands War
Lord John Fieldhouse, commander of British forces during the 1982 Falklands War, has died at 64, the Ministry of Defense announced Tuesday without giving a cause of death.
He died Monday at a hospital in Southampton, about 80 miles southwest of London.
Fieldhouse retired as a fleet admiral in 1988 because of his health.
He was Britain’s highest-ranking admiral when Argentina invaded the Falklands on April 2, 1982, claiming sovereignty over the south Atlantic island group. Fieldhouse was given command over all troops sent to the sparsely populated British colony.
Argentina surrendered June 14, 1982, after 714 Argentines, 255 Britons and three islanders were killed.
Margaret Thatcher, prime minister during the war, called Fieldhouse “a great leader, wise, warm and courageous.”
Fieldhouse attended Dartmouth Naval College before volunteering for submarine duty and taking command of the Dreadnought, Britain’s first nuclear submarine.
He later served on Polaris submarines and frigates. In 1973, he was appointed director of naval warfare. Other posts included commander of the East Atlantic submarine force and controller of the navy from 1979-81.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
