Was your relative part of the British task force sent to the Falkland Islands in 1982? 260 people are recorded in this collection. The records will reveal their rank, regiment and cause of death during the Falklands War.
Was your relative part of the British task force sent to the Falkland Islands in 1982? 260 people are recorded in this collection. The records will reveal their rank, regiment and cause of death during the Falklands War.
Each record includes a transcript of the original register. The amount of detail in each transcript can differ, but most will include a combination of the following:
The Falkland Islands, a UK colony in the South Atlantic, has been part of the British Empire since 1833. The colony is made up of two large islands (East and West) and about 200 smaller islands. The islands’ capital, Port Stanley, is located on East Falkland on the eastern coast. It holds the claim for the southernmost capital in the world.
The Falklands War began on Friday 2 April 1982 when Argentina took possession of the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands. Argentina claimed it had sovereignty over the islands, which it had inherited from Spain. The war, also known as the Falkland Conflict or Guerra de Malvinas in Spanish, lasted 72 days. The British government was quick to organise in response to Argentina’s actions. A task force was mobilised and sent to the South Atlantic islands. In total, Britain sent over 100 ships and 28,000 troops.
The initial phase of the war was fought at sea. The first major loss of life for the British forces was on 4 May when the British destroyer HMS Sheffield was hit by an Exocet anti-ship missile from an Argentine Super Etendard fighter. The vessel was sunk and 20 crew members lost. The attack was in retaliation for the sinking of ARA General Belgrano two days earlier. ARA General Belgrano was torpedoed by HMS Conqueror and resulted in the largest loss of life in the war. More than 320 Argentines were killed. On 21 May, British troops landed on the western coast of the island. The first major land conflict of the war was the Battle of Goose Green. The battle lasted one day and night with fierce fighting from both sides. British troops were largely outnumbered but ultimately successful. The forces were able to break the Argentine defence and marched towards Port Stanley.
Argentina surrender to the United Kingdom on 12 June 1982. The Falklands War British Deaths record the names of the servicemen who lost their lives in the conflict. By the end of the war 258 British troops were killed and 777 wounded. Argentina lost 649 soldiers, 1,068 were wounded and 11,313 captured.