War is truly hell.

Dear Fellow Earthlings, On the 8th of June 1982 President Ronald Reagan of the United States issued a statement at the conclusion of the Versailles Economic Summit Conference in Paris. Among the sentences

Mr. Reagan wrote was one referring to the need to find a way to end "the tragedy in the Falkland Islands". The previous losses that had already been suffered by both sides during the Falklands War would be felt all the more by the time the dreadful events of June 8, 1982 had taken place. "Sir Tristram" had reached Fitzroy on Monday the 7th and began unloading ammunition. "Sir Galahad",

with its contingent of the Welsh Guard (that had been transferred from HMS Fearless) aboard had, by

morning, also arrived at Fitzroy.

The logistics for getting the troops safely to shore had not been worked out completely. As a result,

after Argentine observers on nearby Mount Harriet noted the arrival of the troops, they passed the

information along the Argentine chain-of-command. Immediately planes based in Argentina.set out

for the Falklands. There had been no time for the British forces newly arrived in the Fitzroy area to install on-shore

Rapier surface-to-air missiles to defend from aerial attack. The Argentinians had sent five Skyhawks and five Daggers to the Fitzroy area. The Skyhawks

reached Fitzroy before all of the ammunition that had been on Sir Tristram could by fully offloaded --

and before the Welsh Guard contingent on board Sir Galahad were directed to board landing craft

to convey them tand the equipment they literally "carried on their backs" to the relative safety of the

shore, only some 200 or so meters away.

When the attacking planes released their bomb payloads, the two ships immediately exploded

in flames and were soon abandoned. -- but not before large numbers of men, mainly Welsh

guardsmen on board Galahad, perished in the flames. 48 of the men who had been on the two ships were killed and an even larger number were badly

burned and otherwise wounded. This was to be the greatest single day loss of British lives in the

Falklands War.

Later in the day more fighting -- and dying -- took place in Fitzroy and Choiseul Sound. Sea Harriers

helped reduce the carnage somewhat as they used their Sidewinder missiles to bring down three of the

attacking Skyhawks. The events of the 8th of June 1982 remind us that war is truly hell!! Steve Walker Earthsaver and Jingles Creator

Here I stood on August 9, 2013, paying my respects to those who were

killed and injured in Fitzroy on June 8, 1982.

Holding a very heavy fragment from one of the two ships (Sir Galahad and

(Sir Tristram), detroyed by Argentne planes at Fitzroy. Holding that fragment,

which weighed about 15 kilograms, I was made aware somewhat of the force

of the bomb blasts that rocked those two vessels and caused so many casualties.

EarthSaver

Steve Walker

War is truly hell.