LONDON – Sir Rex Hunt, who was governor of the Falkland Islands at the time of the Argentine invasion in 1982, has died. He was 86.

Prime Minister David Cameron said Monday that Hunt "should be a hero to everyone in Britain" for his service during the war, in which Britain successfully reclaimed the contested islands, called the Malvinas by the Argentines.

"He gave years of dedicated service to this country and to the Falkland Islands," Cameron said. "Faced with invading forces in Port Stanley in April 1982, his courage, resolve and judgment fired the spirit of the Islanders and the British people to stand up to aggression and to defend the rights and freedom of the Islanders. My thoughts are with his family and friends as they mourn him today."