The Falkands War was triggered by the Argentine invasion of South Georgia on 19 March 1982, presaging the imminent arrival of additional Argentine forces on the Falklands Islands. The justification for the invasion was that this was actually a reoccupation of Argentine land, given the proximity of the islands to Argentine shores – and the military government of the time, led by General Leopoldo Galtieri, saw this move as a way of boosting national pride amid a crippling economic crisis.
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rnThe Argentine government did not believe the British would respond. Britain, however, led by Margaret Thatcher, determined to defend British territory, and a naval task force was consequently assembled and sent to recapture the islands. Almost four months later, the war had claimed 907 lives, 258 of them British, and 649 of them Argentine.
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rnThis memorial pays tribute to the hundreds of Argentine lives that were lost. Few Argentines bear a grudge against the English, although the English still complain about Diego Maradona’s ‘hand of God’ goal in the 1986 World Cup quarter final in Mexico.