Falkland Island landmarks named after 238 fallen in 1982
Multiple locations around the Falklands have been named after the 258 servicemen and civilians who gave their lives for the liberation of the Falklands in 1982 as part of the 40th Anniversary commemorations.
The 40th Anniversary Place Names Remembrance Project, lead by Rosie King, Sally Poncet and Ken Passfield, set out to “create an enduring legacy for their sacrifice and assure next of kin and families that these men and women will never be forgotten.”
In undertaking the project the group found that 20 places in the islands were already named after fallen from 1982, “mostly Mount Pleasant Airport road and street names, but also two Stanley streets and an island in Salvador Waters were already named after individuals.”
As such the group set out to find 238 further locations to be named. Criteria were set for the locations, namely that they: needed to be distributed across the entire Falklands to symbolize that the entire country was liberated; the location must be visible on Google Earth so families and next of kin can find them; to not have an existing place name; and to be in need of a name.
These last two points required not insignificant research to make sure no historic place names were overwritten and to ascertain a need for naming. “This can be subjective,” a project press release said, adding that, “from a seafaring perspective it is obvious which points, bays, rocks and islands are in need of naming.
“For inland areas, only conspicuous features such as hills, streams, ponds, prominent rocks or ridges were selected.”
Other locations required consultations with landowners, farm managers, and Department of Overseas Surveys maps.
Not all locations will be accessible to the public, though this was considered as an early goal but would have made finding enough locations challenging. As for which name goes on which location, “some landowners have requested that their feature be named after a particular individual or someone from a particular unit,” the press release explained, and the rest will be allocated at random. (Penguin News)
