1982 War Memorials and Points of Interest in Falkland Islands

Fitzroy settlement is named after Robert FitzRoy, who commanded HMS Beagle during Darwin's voyages and is home to six memorials associated with the 1982 war.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels, Sir Galahad and Sir Tristram, were bombed in the waters on 8th June whilst the Welsh Guards were waiting to disembark, with serious loss of life. The memorials have inscriptions in English and Welsh.

As in 1982, Fitzroy is still a working sheep farm.

A short tour of the settlement provides an overview of this lifestyle before visiting the memorials overlooking the bay where the June 8 attacks took place.

On 28–29 May 1982, Goose Green was the site of the first land battle of the Falklands war, as it was relatively close to the site of the British landings, San Carlos. The British leaders were looking for an early victory, even if the site was not necessarily of military importance. There is a small museum within the settlement dedicated to the 1982 war and opportunity to view the various memorials and battle sites in the area.

These include memorials to Lieutenant Colonel Herbert “H” Jones who was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross; Lieutenant Nick Taylor, the pilot of Sea Harrier XZ450 who was shot down by Argentine anti-airgraft guns on 4 May 1982 as he ran in to attack and the 2 Para Memorial which commemorates the 15 fallen soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, Para Regiment who were buried there temporarily.

The Goose Green residents who were held prisoner by Argentine forces gather here each year to commemorate their release on 29 May.

On 21st May 1982, British troops were landed at San Carlos. The Cemetery, constructed in the form of a corral is dedicated to the South Atlantic Task Force. The memorial records the names of those who died.

Overlooking the now tranquil inlet of San Carlos Water there is opportunity for visitors to contemplate the enormity of the task ahead of the British Forces on landing and to pay respect to those who lost their lives.

The Argentine cemetery contains 237 graves of Argentine soldiers who died during the war.

After the war the United Kingdom offered to send the bodies back to Argentina, but the Argentine government refused on the grounds that it viewed the Falklands as part of Argentina.

Rows of simple white crosses are tucked under a hill which acts as a natural shelter from the strong winds the Falklands are exposed to. When walking up the hill to the cemetery, the lack of wind instantly becomes apparent, offering a calm final resting place for the 237 troops located there.

Behind the graves is a remembrance wall with the names of all 649 Argentinians who were killed in the Falklands War.

A short walk above the cemetery provides a view of Goose Green settlement and other areas associated with the events of 1982.