On April 2, 1982, nearly 30,000 of our young soldiers, sailors and air crew, were sent 8,000 miles to the South Atlantic to reclaim the Falkland Islands after they were invaded by Argentina. The hard won victory would transform the nation, but success was never guaranteed and more than 255 British servicemen lost their lives during a war that lasted just 74 days.
The Welsh Guards sustained some of the heaviest losses in the conflict, and it was one single incident involving the Regiment that accounted for nearly one fifth of all British Army fatalities during the war.
On 8 June at Fitzroy, to the southwest of Port Stanley, an Argentinian jet bombed the Sir Galahad and Sir Tristram. The troop ships were moored and carrying equipment and the Welsh Guards, who were getting ready to go ashore and join the land war. The attack from the air left 48 men dead, 32 of whom were Welsh Guards. Eleven other Army personnel and five crewmen from Sir Galahad herself also died. You can get more articles like this and other story updates by subscribing to our newsletters here.
