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Teachers put up resisitance to invaders

3/ 4/2007

AS THE British military task force made its way to the Falklands two ex-Castleton teachers were heading in the opposite direction after putting up their own resistance to the invaders.

John and Anne Peatfield, formerly of Alder Road, had worked at Crossgates Primary School in Milnrow until August 1978.

They then moved to the Falklands, where John became the headmaster of Port Stanley Primary School and Anne a teacher there.

Following the invasion an Argentinian naval officer was put in charge of education.

He ordered the teachers to keep the schools open and work with their authorities until an Argentine curriculum could be introduced.

But all the teachers refused - even after a 'short, sharp' meeting with an army officer who warned 100 bi-lingual Argentinian teachers would be brought in to replace them.

The main reason for their defiance was the schools were too close to the main military camp and would be in danger in the event of an attack and many children had already left Port Stanley anyway.

Mr and Mrs Peatfield taught 15 of the few that were left in their own home, helped by a micro-computer they had borrowed from HMS Endurance.

Eventually the military commander agreed to suspend the school year and troops took over the buildings.

At that point, their defiance a success, the couple flew back to Britain.