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The British Presence in Southern Patagonia
++ Selected Correspondence ++
La Presencia Británica en la Patagonia
Austral ++ Correspondencia Informativa ++
La Presencia Británica en la Patagonia Austral ++ Correspondencia Informativa ++
Facts and opinions expressed in this section
are the responsibility of the respective authors.
Los datos y opiniones que se encuentran en esta
sección son de la responsabilidad de sus autores.
| Buckley, Bernard | Mackay, Magnus |
| Fenton, Arturo | Morrison, William |
Bernard BUCKLEY
6 Mar 2004
from Ernest Spencer
Dear Duncan,
... There are so many names I recognize and remember on your site. One that may be of interest is Bernard Buckley. Bernard first came to my attention in about 1969 in relation to Falklands matters and at that time I saw quite a lot of him over a brief period. He was by then in his seventies but very active. Coincidentally his daughter turned out to be the visiting school nurse at a school my children attended and also where my wife worked so she was well known to members of my family but we were unaware of the Falklands connection. She also lived quite close to us.
Bernard originated in the Falklands as confirmed by your site and told me that he worked in Punta [Punta Arenas] prior to WWI when he volunteered for the British Army travelling to the UK with the other volunteers. I remember Bernard asking me who my relatives were in the Falklands and I mentioned my mothers name was Goss. 'Oh, I stayed with a Goss family at Goose Green for the Sports in 1902' he said. This would have been with my Grandparents!
During WWI Bernard took part in the Battle of the Somme and was seriously wounded in the head and had a silver plate repair to his skull. He said he actually remembered nothing about it and his first recollection is waking up in hospital in France and not understanding why he was there because by then his wounds had healed. He was eventually pronounced to be fully fit by the army doctor and for his reward was sent back to the front lines. Fortunately he was not wounded again and survived the war without further personal mishap.
If I recall correctly, Bernard said that he then returned to Punta Arenas where he had a shop of some sort. Bernard eventually disposed of the shop and emigrated to Australia where he tried his hand at sheep farming. This was not a very successful venture and a combination of sheep disease, red eye I think (may mean something to the initiated), and the depression brought an end to that venture. He then returned to the UK and went to Scotland where he said he operated a cottage style whisky distillery in the Hebrides for a number of years before moving to the Manchester area just before the outbreak of WWII.
At the beginning of WWII Bernard, who was by then too old to be called up for military service, volunteered to work with a Home Guard unit operating Barrage Balloons. He was unexpectedly moved with this unit to Birmingham to help out there and much to his surprise then found himself transferred with the whole unit into the RAF (Regiment) full time on airfield protection duties. The unit was then transferred abroad to the Middle East where he served out the remainder of WWII on protection duties on RAF operational airfields. So he became a veteran of two World Wars. When I met Bernard he was still active in an RAF Veterans organization.
Sadly Bernard died after a short illness only a very short time after I got to know him. His daughter also moved about the same time, so unfortunately I cannot get in touch to ask her for more details of his interesting life. The first time I met him one could have been forgiven for thinking that he had just got off the ship from the Falklands, wearing his navy blue beret in old Falklands style, firmly fixed on his head to prevent it being blown off by the wind and walking along in that jaunty bird like Falkland 'camper's' gait.
Best wishes,
Ernie Spencer
Arturo FENTON + William MORRISON
25 Sep 2003
de Carlos M. Nuevo Freire
Estimados Gladys y Duncan:
Por casualidad he conocido vuestro sitio. Interesantísimo. Soy agrónomo y productor rural en la zona del Lago Cardiel, donde mis abuelos poblaron las estancias El Guadal (luego San Miguel), La Carlina y Las Tunas. Actualmente con mi esposa Angélica desarrollamos tareas de turismo rural en esta última y de ganadería ovina y bovina en La Carlina. Tenemos un pequeño sitio, es http://www.estanciasdesantacruz.com/LasTunas/lastunas.htm
Por escritos y comentarios de mi padre Edmundo J. Nuevo Freire (1917-1992), Don Arturo Fenton, soltero, pobló el lote 18 de la llamada Zona Norte del Río Santa Cruz (ZNRSC) desde fines del año 1918 y hasta mediados de la década del 1930. Son siete leguas y media cuadradas (18250 has.) Su estancia, "La Trinchera", era atípica pues no contaba con instalaciones para la cría de lanares: él (Fenton) no los quería pues sostenía que provocarían erosión y el desierto (sic), en cambio crió gran número de yeguarizos. Las instalaciones en piedra semitrabajada aún se pueden localizar dentro del campo hoy abandonado y llamado "La Victorina"; un interesante lugar para la arqueología histórica del poblamiento zonal. A Fenton le fué caducada la concesión de arrendamiento por no cumplir con lo acordado con la Dirección Nacional de Tierras. Su campo lo ocupó el Dr. Félix González Bautista, español, y de activa participación en los movimientos huelguísticos del 20. Arturo Fenton había redactado un boceto sobre el poblamiento de la zona Lago Cardiel y Strobel, intitulado El libro azul del Cardiel. Mi abuelo Miguel Nuevo Freire, que tenía boliche y parada del correo en "El Guadal" lo trató frecuentemente. Adicto a la carne de choique y guanaco, gran soguero y trabajador en cueros, eximio jinete, jocoso y extrovertido. Sus familiares de la zona de Gallegos le pidieron que fuera con ellos para cuidar de su salud inestable.
Espero les sirva este mínimo aporte. Otro poblador británico en la zona fué Don William Morrison, con seis leguas en el lote 20bis ZNRSC, primero en sociedad con Juan Bautista Moreno, luego solo. Su estancia, aún en pié, "Tres Lagunas", en el cruce de la mítica ruta 40 con la ruta provincial 29 que de aquella lleva al viajero hasta Gobernador Gregores o hacia el Lago Cardiel. A Mr. Morrison tuve la fortuna de conocerlo en mi niñez. Hombre sumamente amable, hospitalario, acriollado, simple. Su figura alta y respetable forma parte de mis recuerdos. Falleció en la década del cincuenta a edad avanzada
Un cordial saludo y el recuerdo afectuoso ...
A su disposición,
Carlos M. Nuevo Freire.
Magnus MACKAY
22 Aug 2002
from Christine McKenzie
... I have just had another browse on your wonderful website ... my father doesn't appear anywhere. His name was Magnus Mackay. He worked on Ea Sara from 1930 - then at Ea Rospentek on the mainland until 1942 when he sailed home and joined the RAF. He was torpedoed on the way and lost all the possessions he was taking home, I don't think a great deal.
It was a Skye man who was his first contact, I think -- Norman MacRitchie (whose name does appear on the Lewis immigrants). He was friendly with the Goodalls, one brother in particular. And he was friendly with Duncan Mackay who worked on Ea Maria Behety and who later bought Ea San Jose for himself and his second wife Christina, with whom I stayed in 1976. His son Teddy was then running San Jose ... I also stayed on Ea Jose Menendez, with the under-manager Mr Smith who was then getting towards retirement. All this on the Argentina side ...