Graves in the Falklands
It’s important to remember that the Falklands War not only saved the islanders from Argentina – it also freed Argentina from Galtieri’s right-wing military junta & created an opportunity for democracy to flourish
The final resting places of many Argentinian soldiers remain unidentified
In 1982, driven by a need to distract his population away from a failing economy and the murderous actions of his secret police, Leopoldo Galtieri sent a powerfully armed force to occupy the Falkland Islands. The 60 Royal Marines based in Port Stanley were heavily outnumbered and given no option after a heroic three-hour battle. They would have fought on, but Governor Rex Hunt made the decision to call a surrender to prevent civilian casualties.
The Foreign Office had withdrawn the only support ship from the Antarctic. This act sent the message to Argentina that the UK was uninterested in the islands. No one imagined that Margaret Thatcher would deploy her armed forces nearly 13,000 kilometres (8,000 miles) to recover such a ‘worthless possession’.
Soldiers fight wars, they don’t start them, and yet as always it is the families of soldiers that carry the burden. The mothers, fathers, children and siblings truly pay the price of war. In 1982, 649 Argentine and 255 British soldiers died in the 74-day war. The majority of Argentinian soldiers who served during the conflict were recent conscripts who had just finished their training. As the British forces
“ON A HILLTOP OUTSIDE DARWIN ON EAST FALKLAND, AT THE ARGENTINE CEMETERY, 121 ARGENTINIAN SOLDIERS WERE INTERRED IN GRAVES LABELLED ‘NO NAME’”
fought from west to east towards Port Stanley, reports of Argentinian soldiers chained to machine guns to prevent retreat were passed through the ranks. Outclassed and outmanoeuvred by a professional volunteer army, the conscripts had no stomach for the fight and they died, many would claim, in vain.
The Falklands War was an unusual engagement for modern warfare: two adversaries, backed by their governments, engaged in open warfare with air, sea and land forces. Most modern battlefields involve insurgents in guerrilla warfare. Cruel and uncompromising, such wars have relinquished all sense of honour and acceptable behaviour. Both sides in the South Atlantic behaved with remarkable restraint outside of the heat of battle. Prisoners were treated well and were returned promptly at the end of the campaign. There were no reported atrocities. Wars fought in this mode have the advantage of retaining less animosity, especially among those who actually fought and risked their lives. When the battles are over and the guns go quiet soldiers often harbour a respect and sympathy for their former adversaries. This is not the case where terrorism and senseless murder are the methods used.
The families of the dead paid and still pay the price. On a hilltop outside Darwin on East Falkland, at the Argentine cemetery, 121 Argentinian soldiers were interred in graves labelled ‘No name’. In 2018, DNA research by the Red Cross has identified 90 of these lost souls. Families have a need for closure, and no decent person could deny a relative the opportunity to say farewell to a son, and for that son to have a grave with a headstone that bears his name. I admire and approve of the diplomatic accord that has allowed parents and siblings to visit the islands. Perhaps this is a positive step towards a future with less tension.
Time is the great healer, and it is reassuring that sufficient time has passed to allow the families to visit the graves and to know where their long-lost relatives are laid to rest. Gone is the hatred and jingoism, gone are the guns and helmets. The landmines still erupt from the ground occasionally (mostly to the detriment of the sheep) but the Falkland Islands today are at peace and, just as importantly, so is Argentina.
The argument still continues, with new Argentinian governments continuing to lay claim to ‘Islas Malvinas’, especially during times of economic instability, but democracies rarely start wars. The passions still run deep on both sides. In 2012, one month after the 30th anniversary of the Argentinian surrender, a glass case overlooking the cemetery that contained an image Argentina’s patron saint, the Virgin of Luján, was fired upon and smashed. This of course drew justified emotional protests from Argentina.
Before 1982 there was a trend towards the islands becoming part of Argentina. The farmers and fishermen sold their produce in South America, and travel to and from the mainland was almost unrestricted. Had Galtieri’s invasion not taken place, it could be argued that the islands would today be named the Malvinas. Today the UK quite rightly refuses to relinquish sovereignty of the islands. A democratic referendum held in 2013 voted overwhelmingly for the islands to remain a British protectorate.
The value of the Falklands to the UK could be viewed as mostly symbolic today.
They represent a victory of democracy over autocracy, good against evil or right against wrong. Too many young soldiers died for the British victory for sovereignty to be put aside by diplomats and politicians. That sacrifice will need another 30 years, when those of us that fought are ancient history not only to Britain but also to the Falkland islanders.
Perceived weakness is always taken advantage of in politics, and if war is an extension of politics, it is weakness that leads to war. Communication, trade, cooperation and assistance are the bywords of peaceful politics. Both countries – the UK and Argentina – need more of this. The actions of the Red Cross and the visits of the bereaved are one small step towards a stable and prosperous future.
History carries lessons for all governments. Once war starts, it follows the ‘law of unknown consequences’, which Galtieri learned too late and to his cost. His loss was nothing compared to the price paid by the families visiting the Argentine cemetery at Darwin. 31 sets of remains are still unidentified today.