Hammersmith and Juan José Latorre: Difference between pages

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[[Image:Latorre01.jpg|thumb|250px|'''Vice Admiral Juan José Latorre''']]

{{infobox London place|

'''Juan José Latorre Benavente''' ([[Santiago de Chile|Santiago]]; [[March 24]], [[1846]] - [[July 9]], [[1912]]) Chilean Vice Admiral, one of the principal actors of the [[War of the Pacific]], and hero of the [[Battle of Angamos]].

|Place= Hammersmith

|Borough= [[London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham|Hammersmith and Fulham]]

|Traditional= [[Middlesex]]

|Constituency= [[Hammersmith and Fulham (UK Parliament constituency)|Hammersmith and Fulham]]

|PostTown= LONDON

|PostCode= W6

|DiallingCode= 020

|GridReference= TQ225795

|GLA= [[West Central London]]

}}

[[Image:the_lyric_hammersmith.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The Lyric theatre is just one of the arts and entertainment venues that have made Hammersmith a worthy rival to the West End. (September 2005)]]

==Early life==

'''Hammersmith''' is a town in the [[London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham]] in west [[London]]. It is situated to the south of [[Shepherd's Bush]], on the north side of the [[River Thames]].

Son of Elías Latorre and of Nicomedia Benavente, the oldest of eight brothers. After the early death of his father, three of his younger brothers were taken by the paternal family in [[Peru]], where they were raised. Later on, one of the brothers participated also in the [[War of the Pacific]], but on the Peruvian side.

At the age of nine, in [[1855]], he won a scholarship to the Naval Academy. Appointed midshipman on [[July 15]], [[1861]]. He served on the ''Esmeralda'' during the [[Chincha Islands War]] and participated in the [[Battle of Papudo]], where the Spanish shooner ''Covadonga'' was captured, and in the [[Battle of Abtao]].

A bustling commercial and transport centre, Hammersmith is home to two shopping malls, as well as the offices of [[Coca-Cola]], [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]], [[EMI]], [[L'Oreal]], [[Sony Ericsson]] and [[AOL | AOL UK]], among others. Hammersmith's pedestrianised riverside is popular for its many pubs, and excellent views of the river and its annual [[Boat Race]].

On [[February 12]], [[1873]] was promoted to first lieutenant, and given command of the ''Toltén'' first, and the ''Magallanes'' later. It was in this later ship that he was going to make his name as one of the ablest naval commanders of the coming war. During his patrols of the extreme southern region of Chile, he was involved in a diplomatic incident with [[Argentina]] and Britain, when he captured several foreign ships that were operating in the Chilean area with an Argentinian licence, chief among them the ''Jeanne Amelie'' and the ''Devonshire''. He was also faced with the mutiny of the city of [[Punta Arenas]], where he was able to rescue his old friend, governor [[Diego Dublé Almeida]].

== War of the Pacific years ==

==Culture and Entertainment==

===Naval Battle de Chipana===

Hammersmith has a number of attractions;

While in command of the ''Magallanes'', he was the first to come face to face with the Peruvian navy at the [[Battle of Chipana|Naval Battle de Chipana]]. On [[April 12]], [[1879]], he crossed paths with the Peruvian ships ''Unión'' and ''Pilcomayo'', who tried to capture it. Outgunned, Latorre decided to escape. During the ensuing persecution, he noticed that the speed of the two Peruvian ships was greatly different, and that the ''Pilcomayo'' was falling considerably behind.

* The Carling "[[Hammersmith Apollo]]"[http://www.carlinglive.com/venue_content/way_there/carling_hammersmith_apolo.html] concert hall / theatre (formerly the Hammersmith Odeon)

* The [[Lyric theatre]] [http://www.lyric.co.uk/]

* The "world famous" [[Hammersmith Palais]] nightclub. (featured in [[The Clash]] song "(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais).

[[Image:the_dove_pub1.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The famous Dove Pub - entrance in the alley that is the only surviving trace of the old Hammersmith Village. (September 2005)]]

* "The Dove" riverside [[pub]], the oldest surviving riverside pub in London with, reputedly, the smallest bar in the world, frequented in the past by [[Ernest Hemingway]] and [[Graham Greene]] The narrow alley in which it stands is the only remnant of the riverside village of Hammersmith, the bulk of which was demolished in the 1930s. Furnival Gardens, which lies to the east, covers the site of Hammersmith Creek and the High Bridge. The site of the creek can be ascertained by a mound near the Great West Road.

* [[Riverside studios]][http://www.riversidestudios.co.uk/]: a cinema and performance space, and formerly [[BBC]] studios.

Once the Peruvian ''Union'' was alone, he turned his ship around, and opened fire. The battle thus ensued. The Peruvian aim was disastrous, due to their lack of training, but the Chilean aim was only marginally better. At one point, the ''Unión'' started spewing white smoke from one of its sides. This led the Peruvian captain to think his ship had been seriously hit, and gave up the persecution, allowing the weaker ''Magallanes'' to escape unharmed. In fact the whole incident was caused by the overheating of one of the boilers.

Hammersmith has provided a ___location for several TV programmes, including the [[BBC]] comedy series "[[Bottom (television)|Bottom]]", [[Channel 4]]'s [[TFI Friday]], and the vampire drama "[[Ultraviolet (TV miniseries)|Ultraviolet]]". The opening credits of Bottom show the Hammersmith Broadway development, then called Centre West, when it was under construction. In addition, the [[Flying Squad]] were Hammersmith-based in the 1970's TV series "[[The Sweeney]]".

===Second Naval Battle of Iquique===

In 1930, [[Gustav Holst]] composed a work for military band (later rewritten for orchestra) entitled ''Hammersmith'' to reflect his impressions of the town, having lived across the river in nearby [[Barnes]] for nearly forty years. It begins with a haunting musical depiction of the River Thames flowing underneath Hammersmith Bridge. Holst was a music teacher at [[St Paul's Girls' School]], where he composed many of his most famous works, including [[The Planets]] suite. The music wing of the school is named after him.

After the disastrous reduction of the Peruvian navy at the First [[Battle of Iquique|Naval Battle of Iquique]], presidente [[Mariano Ignacio Prado|Prado]] of Peru ordered Admiral [[Miguel Grau|Grau]] to harass the Chilean shipping lines and to try to disrupt their commerce. The Admiral, on the ''Huascar'', decided to go on a night raid to the port of [[Iquique]], to try and destroy the ''Abtao''. He arrived on the night of [[July 9]], and not finding his prey decided to go after the transport ship ''Matías Cousiño.''

Latorre, who was commanding the ''Magallanes'' decided to fend off the attack, in spite of the difference in strength of both ships (260 tons versus 1130). Admiral Grau tried to sink the smaller ship thrice, using his ram, but in spite of his ability the ''Magallanes'' was able to keep him at bay long enough for the ironclad ''Cochrane'' to show up, after which the ''Huascar'' decided to retreat back to [[Arica]].

Architecturally, Hammersmith is notable for

* "The Ark" office building [http://www.thelondonark.co.uk/]

* "Hammersmith Bridge Road Surgery" Doctor's office [http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/hammersmith/]

=== [[Battle of Angamos|Naval Battle of Angamos]] ===

[[Image:Angamos.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Battle of Angamos|Naval Battle of Angamos]]]]

On [[September 6]], [[1879]] he is promoted to commander of the ironclad ''Cochrane'', the strongest unit of the Chilean fleet. His fame was such that he moved in with all his crew. His first mission was to eliminate the threat of the ''Huascar'', who was impeding alone any invasion of the Peruvian coastline.

On the night of [[October 7]] he was informed that the ''Huascar'' had been seen near the port of Huasco and was moving north. A trap was then set. The Chilean fleet was divided into 2 groups. The first division was in charge of Commander [[Galvarino Riveros]] and made up of the ''Blanco Encalada'', ''Covadonga'' and the ''Matías Cousiño'' (the last one loaded with coal), who would try to follow Admiral Grau pushing him towards the second division that would be waiting further north. In the early hours of [[October 8]], the plan went into effect. When the ''Huascar'' and the ''Union'' saw the Chilean ships blocking their way south they decided to turn back north. A few hours later, they met the ''Cochrane'' who was waiting according to plan. Admiral Grau was forced to present battle, while the ''Union'' got away.

==Transport==

The area is on the main A4 [[trunk road]] heading west from central London towards the M4 [[motorway]] and [[Heathrow Airport]]. The A4, a busy commuter route, passes over the area's main road junction, Hammersmith Broadway, on a long viaduct, the [[Hammersmith Flyover]]. [[Hammersmith Bridge]], the first [[suspension bridge]] over the [[River Thames]], carries traffic to and from [[Barnes]] and South-West London.

The ''Cochrane'' continued advancing over the ''Huascar'' without answering its fire until it was very close to the enemy, in order not to lose speed. When it finally attacked, the onslaught was ferocious. The second shot destroyed the command tower of the ''Huascar'', killing Admiral [[Miguel Grau Seminario|Grau]] and leaving the monitor without a rudder. The fight continued for another hour, but the arrival of the ''Blanco Encalada'' with the rest of the Chilean fleet made any resistance totally useless. The ''Huascar'' was captured and became a part of the Chilean fleet.

Hammersmith is served by two tube stations, [[Hammersmith tube station (Hammersmith & City Line)|one]] is the western terminus of the [[Hammersmith & City Line]], [[Hammersmith tube station (Piccadilly & District Line)|the other]] by the [[Piccadilly line|Piccadilly]] and [[District Line]]s . The latter tube station is part of a larger office, retail and transport development, locally known as "The Broadway" after its large encompassing roundabout. This development includes the Broadway Shopping Centre and a large modern bus station, which is open 24 hours a day and served by a large number of buses, night buses, airport transfer buses and some long distance coaches.

==Nearest PlacesLater years ==

After returning to Chile, in [[1882]] he married Julia Moreno Zuleta, whom he met on one of the many parties given in his honor after the war. They had three children. On [[June 5]], [[1884]] he is promoted to Rear-Admiral. In [[1886]] he was appointed Commander General of the Navy. Presidente [[José Manuel Balmaceda]] sent him on an official mission to Europe to supervise the construction of new ships for the Chilean navy. While in [[England]], the [[Chilean Civil War]] broke out. He chose to remain loyal to president Balmaceda and was dismissed after the Congressional triumph. He remained in exile in Europe until [[1894]].

After his return, he was twice elected senator for the Balmacedista party ([[1894]]-[[1900]], [[1900]]-[[1906]]), and was reinstated in the navy. He was appointed member of the Council of State by president [[Federico Errázuriz Echaurren]] in [[1897]] and minister of foreign affairs in [[1898]]. A few years before his death he was promoted to Vice Admiral and was made a Commander of the French [[Legion of Honor]].

* [[Fulham]]

* [[Kensington]]

* [[Shepherd's Bush]]

* [[Barnes]]

* [[Chiswick]]

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==External links==

{{s-off}}

* [http://www.lbhf.gov.uk/index3.htm London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham]

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* [http://www.lbhf.gov.uk/our_borough/bguide/default.htm The Borough Guide from the Borough Council]

| title=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile#Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Cult|Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cult]]

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/whereyoulive/west/hammersmith/index.shtml BBC Guide to Hammersmith, Fulham and Chiswick]

| before=[[Raimundo Silva]]

* [http://www.myhammersmith.co.uk/ MyHammersmith Guide to Hammersmith]

| after=[[Ventura Blanco]]

* [http://homepages.gold.ac.uk/genuki/MDX/Hammersmith/HammersmithHistory.html Description of Hammersmith in 1868]

| years='''1898-1899'''}}

* [http://www.hammersmithsa.org.uk/ Hammersmith Salvation Army]

{{s-mil}}

{{succession box

| title=[[Chilean Navy|Navy General Commander]]

| before=[[Domingo Toro]]

| after=[[Luis Uribe]]

| years='''1886-1887'''}}

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[[Category:1846 births|Latorre, Juan José]]

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[[Category:1912 deaths|Latorre, Juan José]]

[[Category:Chilean military personnel|Latorre, Juan José]]

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[[Category:Chilean admirals|Latorre, Juan José]]

[[Category:People of the War of the Pacific|Latorre, Juan José]]

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[[Category:Districts of London]]

[[Category:Hammersmith & Fulham]]