INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF THE FALKLAND ISLANDS

In this section of the portal we try to present a historical picture of the Falkland Islands in an easily accessible format.  We present a Brief History of the Falkland Islands, supplemented by our Falkland Islands Timeline - a chronology of significant historical, economic and social events.  The 1982 Falklands War Timeline is a chronological account of the events of the Falklands Conflict.  In our Articles section we cover topics of particular interest.  

Please feel free to contact us with additional information for inclusion in the Timeline or 1982 Timeline, or send us articles on the history of the Islands which you would like us to publish on this portal.  

Further information on the history of the Falkland Islands can also be obtained from the following sources:-

Falkland Islands Government Archives, Jeremy Moore Avenue, Stanley.  Tel. 27249.  Fax. 27259.  Email archives.fig@horizon.co.fk   Archivist Jane Cameron.

On-line at Falkland Islands History (www.history.horizon.co.fk) which contains an excellent account of the discovery and early maritime history of the Islands.  See also  www.worldstatesmen.org 

Falkland Islands Museum and National Trust (FIMNT), Holdfast Road, Stanley, Falkland Islands.  Tel. 27428.  Fax. 22727.  Email falklands.museum@horizon.co.fk  Curator Leona Roberts.  Deputy Curator Colin Patterson-Smith.  Founded after the 1982 Conflict by local historian John Smith, and now run as an independent charitable trust.  See www.falklands-museum.com

FIMNT is based at Britannia House Museum.  This property was built in 1981 to house the Argentinian Air Commodore in charge of the local detachment of LADE, the Argentinian military airline which connected the Falkland Islands with the outside world before the 1982 Conflict.  The Museum has a wide range of exhibits giving many fascinating insights into the lives of Islanders in times gone by.  There are also exhibitions dealing specifically with Islands flora and fauna, and with the Conflict.  The Museum is open 9.30am to 12 noon and 1.30 to 4pm weekdays, and from 2 to 4pm on weekends.  

Britannia House Museum is highly-recommended: "Wide-ranging displays tell the story of a community which began with a cattle industry before the late 19th century development of sheep farming.  It also shows how the community was caught up in two world wars and later in the dramatic conflict of 1982.  It is a charming and informal museum full of fascinating artefacts that paint a vivid picture of the way of life in a pioneering comunity." (Penguin News Visitor's Guide 2004/5)

FIMNT also own 'Cartmell Cottage', a restored residence from Stanley's early days situated on Drury Street, originally built to house a 'Chelsea Pensioner' and his family and extended many years later.  Cartmell Cottage is furnished in period style to show typical rooms of the 1850s and the 1930s, and is open to visitors by appointment made through the Museum.  FIMNT are currently working on a project to restore the original Cottage gardens and outbuildings. 

Small museums established by FIMNT covering the Conflict and farm life pre-1982 can be found at San Carlos and Port Howard.

We recommend that anyone interested in learning more about the history of the Falkland Islands reads 'The History of the Falkland Islands' by Mary Cawkell published in 2001 by Anthony Nelson.  This is the standard history of the Falkland Islands, and it covers their discovery in 1592 through the various attempts at colonisation and disputed possession to the establishment of the British settlement at Stanley in the early 1840s.  The subsequent development of the Islands is explored through the exploitation of animal resources, the evolution of farming in the Islands, the establishment of churches and schools, and the history of the Islands' renowned postal service.  Increasing tension throughout the 1950s to the eve of the Argentine invasion in 1982 are carefully narrated, together with the impact on the Islands of the 1977 Shackleton Report.  The story of the Islands continues from the 1982 Conflict up to the millennium, charting the development of the fishing industry and oil prospecting.

The Books section of this portal contains many more books relevant to the history of the Falkland Islands, in particular books relating to the 1982 Conflict and accounts of Islands life from every decade throughout the 20th century.

Introduction, Brief History, Timeline, 1982 Articles, 1982 Timeline, 1982 Documents, Articles, Agreements, UN Resolutions
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