St Helena in Focus

On 29 August 2016 the new airport on St Helena held its first , charity runway dash. The event was well attended and supported, and gave many Saints a first experience of the “air side” of the airport before it opened.

256th anniversary of birth of Napoleon, one of St Helena's most famous residents, in Ajaccio the capital of French Mediterranean island of Corsica, on 15 August 1769. Napoleon was to spend five of his 51 birthdays on St Helena where he was held in exile from October 1815 to his death on 5 May, 1821.

14 August also “Falklands Day” to mark the day that Elizabethan explorer, Captain John Davis, made the first recorded sighting of the islands on 14 August 1592. The name of Davis’ ship, the Desire, is incorporated in the motto on the coat of arms of the Islands: “Desire the Right”.

14 August is Tristan da Cunha’s National Day that commemorates when in 1816 the island was garrisoned and possessed by Britain. First discovered in 1506 by Portuguese navigator Tristao da Cunha who did not land, but named island after himself. Message to island from King Charles III

Happy 350th birthday to Royal Observatory Greenwich, the foundation stone of which was laid by first Astronomer Royal John Flamsteed on 10 August 1675. A number of Astronomer Royal have visited St Helena most notably Edmond Halley in 1677 and 1700 and Nevil Maskelyne in 1761.

Airlink has finalised a lease agreement that will see it acquire 10 new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, with the first delivery scheduled for later this year. Airlink has operated Embraer aircraft since 2001, including to St Helena.

At 20.17 GMT on 20 July 1969 Apollo 11’s Lunar Module Eagle touched down on the moon. “Tranquility base here. The Eagle has landed,” were first words spoken on moon by Neil Armstrong, and were first heard on earth at what was NASA's Devil's Ashpit Tracking Station on Ascension Island.

The 2025 Island Games is taking place from 12 to 18 July 2025 in the Orkney Islands for the first time. Athletes have come from 24 island groups to compete in 12 sports including from St Helena, the Falklands and Gibraltar. Princess Royal attended the opening on Sunday.

10 July 1942 saw opening of the runway on Ascension Island, also known as Wideawake Airfield or Ascension Island Auxiliary Field. Runway was used by more than 25,000 aircraft during WW2 and during Falklands War became busiest airport in the world for number of aircraft movements

On 4 & 5 July 1821 news of Napoleon’s death on St Helena on 5 May finally reached UK and France. News arrived on HMS Heron that had sailed from St Helena on 7 May. The death reported in The Evening Star of 4 July, but most, including in Paris, got news from The Times on 5 July

One of the World’s Most Remote Islands Is Now More Accessible Than Ever Long known only as the site of Napoleon’s exile, Saint Helena is in fact a sanctuary of rare biodiversity, dramatic landscapes, and cultural reckoning.

A very nice piece in Vogue about Liam Freeman’s visit to St Helena. Lots of familiar names and places.
www.vogue.com/article/sain...

6 June 1859 Queen Victoria granted city status to Jamestown on St Helena. 2nd Overseas Territory city after Gibraltar 1842, followed by Hamilton (Bermuda) 1897 & Stanley (Falklands) 2022. Jamestown a city before Liverpool (1880), Belfast (1888), Birmingham (1889) or Leeds (1893)

A very happy St Helena's day to everyone on the island of St Helena and to Saints everywhere. Enjoy your day, a day that marks when the first Europeans (Portuguese), came across the island in the South Atlantic back in 1502. #sthelenaday

Colin Martin-Reynolds CMG has been appointed Governor of the Falkland Islands and His Majesty’s Commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in succession to Alison Blake CMG. Martin-Reynolds will take up his appointment during July 2025.

Napoleon’s burial on St Helena took place 9 May 1821. He was buried with full military honours and the British garrison of nearly 3,000 men lined the route of the cortège from Longwood House to the tomb. Napoleon’s body would remain on island until its return to France in 1840

Napoleon’s died at Longwood House on St Helena in the late afternoon of 5 May 1821. He was 51 and had arrived on St Helena in October 1815 after his defeat at Waterloo. He would be buried on 9 May 1821 and his body would remain on the island until returned to France in 1840.

For those who are interested, the rare letters describing Napoleon’s last days and death on St Helena were sold at auction on 1 May by Reeman Dansie for £6,000. The highest price at the auction. A Sevres plate owned by Napoleon went for £1,700.

Rare letters describing Napoleon’s last days and death on St Helena go on sale on 1 May. Letters written by Major Gideon Gorrequer, Aide -de-Camp to Sir Hudson Lowe, Governor of St. Helena, to Lt.Colonel Edward Buckley Wynyard, military secretary to Lowe.
www.reemandansie.com/news-item/th...

YouTube video by British Pathé Royal Tour 1947 (1947)

Wonderful Pathe news coverage of the Royal visit to St Helena on 29 April 1947.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ryV...

YouTube video by William Tangney St Helena Titan Airways A318

5 years ago, April 2020, Titan Airways operated a UK Government charter to St Helena. First Airbus to land on St Helena flew from the UK via Accra and Ascension Island. On board medical staff and 2.5 tonnes of essential medical supplies. for the island.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMiu...

Ships that pass in the night (or just after 3 pm on 27 April 2016 to be exact). Two historic ships cross paths off Jamestown. Sadly Cunard's Queen Victoria chose not to stop - which was frustrating for most of her passengers - while RMS St Helena prepared to sail to Cape Town

On 20 April 2016 the departure board at St Helena's new airport showed a British Airways flight departing for Jo'burg, the first ever direct non-stop (test) flight from the island to the city. British Airways by Comair 737-800 that had spent 2 days on island doing test landings and takeoffs.

18 April 2016 saw the arrival of the first large passenger jet, a British Airways by Comair Boeing 737-800 on St Helena. The famous - or infamous - flight was part of the tests for the opening of the airport and the start of commercial services, but did not exactly go to plan.

A busy time on St Helena as cruise ships reposition back to Europe from the Southern Hemisphere. MV Bolette is visiting today with 990 passengers; the MV Hondius with 176 passengers is due 13-15 April, and the MV Amadea with 600 passengers is due 15-16 April. Good luck everyone

6 April 2016 saw the opening of "Napoleon in St Helena" at the Musée de l'Armée in Paris. The exhibition ran through 24 July 2016 and was a huge success with the public. Exhibition tied in with 200th anniversary of Napoleon's arrival on St Helena.

4 April marks anniversary of the completion of St James’ Church in Jamestown, St Helena in 1774. The oldest surviving Anglican church south of the Equator. Until 1869 diocese of St Helena included British residents of Rio and other towns on eastern seaboard of South America, and the Falklands.

2 April 2016 saw Tim Wonnacott and wife (an antiques expert in own right) hold St Helena’s own antiques roadshow. Saints turned out in numbers and what was to last couple of hours expanded to cover the day as Wonnacotts met every single person that had brought an item of interest along to be viewed

2 April 1861, 21 years after return of Napoleon’s body from St Helena to Paris, his coffin was finally moved to the chapel in Invalides. The sarcophagus can be viewed today when visiting Musée de l'Armée. The Dome over the crypt was Paris' tallest building until the Eiffel Tower was erected.

Lest we forget. It took until 26 March 2022 for Airlink to resume services to St Helena following the pandemic. St Helena had received its last pre-pandemic service from South Africa two years earlier on 13 March 2020, and the UK had locked down on 26 March 2020.

Good news for travellers to St Helena. British Airways has announced additional (3rd) daily flight to Cape Town. Additional flights will operate outbound on Wednesday, Friday, Sunday from 9 November 2025, with return flight leaving following day.