MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

British River Plate routing commemorated in London

Belgravia in the heart of London was this week the stage for the commemoration of an event that two centuries ago helped change the course of history in the River Plate.

The commemoration was the defeat and ousting by local militias from Buenos Aires and Montevideo of the English (British) invasions in 1806 and 1807, helping to forge the identity of the River Plate peoples that only a few years later would definitively break loose from Spanish colonialism.

Over a hundred guests including diplomats and British officials were present at the official gathering in the Argentine Embassy which began in mid morning with a flower wreath (sharing the colours of Argentina and Spain) at Jose de San Martin's monument (Argentina's liberator) in the Belgravia plaza.

In Argentine history books the events are referred to as the Re-conquest of Buenos Aires, with Spanish authorities fleeing from the city (with the treasury) and Montevideo organizing a militia of local residents which defeated the British forces.

Uruguay's future capital was later acknowledged by the King of Spain with the title of "the most faithful and re-conquerer city of San Felipe y Santiago".

Argentine press gave an extensive coverage to the event organized by Argentine Ambassador in London Federido Mirré.

"This is no provocation or nothing of the sort. For Great Britain it is also a significant event. The prejudices which separated us until 1806, particularly because of lack of knowledge, disappeared precisely because of the invasion. As of then we begun to know each other and a long lasting very important relation which extends to our days was born", said Ambassador Mirré.

The first invasion with a force of 1.500 men under the command of William Carr Beresford occurred on June 27th, 1806. Six weeks later local militias organized in Montevideo under Santiago de Liniers defeat the British.

A year later, May 1807 the British are back headed by General John Whitelock, but after two days of fierce resistance from the Buenos Aires population, he surrendered to the locally organized militias.

Three years later Buenos Aires and Montevideo, although at first loyal to the Spanish Crown declared their autonomy from Napoleonic rule in Spain which was to prove the first step towards total independence.

Quoted in the Argentine press, British military historian Peter Caddick-Adams said that the "(Buenos Aires) re-conquest is the event which forged friendship between Argentina and Britain and goes beyond the differences emerging from the Falklands/Malvinas conflict".

"We're celebrating two centuries of an event with strong popular roots which is linked to the defense of our identity and our habits. It was the anticipation of the matrix for what would later become our political and social independence", said Ambassador Mirré.

Asked as to why the celebration in London, Ambassador Mirré recalled the bicentennial of the battle of Trafalgar.

"The victorious and the defeated joined for the occasion. France and Spain sent their best ships and pointed out that beyond those interests which had them on different sides 200 years ago, it signalled the beginning of a long lasting link. If they did it, why couldn't we do it?" replied Ambassador Mirré.