MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Identification of soldiers remains buried in Falklands has started, says Argentina
The Argentine Justice ministry's Human Rights and Cultural Pluralism Desk, announced on Friday that the identification process of the remains of the “Argentine heroes” buried in the Falkland Islands Darwin cemetery has started, and is based on the “accord signed between Argentina and the UK”. Read full article
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Disclaimer & comment rulesI think there is going to be a few surprises by the time they have finished.
Mar 04th, 2017 - 11:48 am - Link - Report abuse +3The exhumations won't start till around July. So it's not clear what is happening between now and then.
Mar 04th, 2017 - 12:48 pm - Link - Report abuse +1A waste of resources that could be put to better use. The dead will remain dead wherever they are, and in another thirty-five years hardly anyone will remember they ever lived.
Mar 04th, 2017 - 03:35 pm - Link - Report abuse -2I think they need repatriation
Mar 04th, 2017 - 03:40 pm - Link - Report abuse +4The poor sods should be identified if possible. A lot of this wouldn't be necessary if the arrogant argue officers had treated their men with any respect
Mar 04th, 2017 - 03:41 pm - Link - Report abuse +3CWGC are continuing to identify the fallen in France & Flanders. There is something about having your name on your grave-stone. I know I've been in some way comforted to see my father's name on his stone in Normandy.
Mar 04th, 2017 - 04:13 pm - Link - Report abuse +1Just so long as this is is not a stunt by the lunatic fringe of Argentine society, and the ICRC say that they believe that it is the real wish of the families, then as a matter of humanity Argentina and the Falkland Islands Government should quietly and sincerely co-operate over this task.
A matter of taste, and mine may be different, but the crosses on the graves seem to be white painted wood, and the paint is cracking. Could not proper stones now be erected?
Lux perpetua luceat eis!
Major, I don't think there will be a lot of surprises. They try and take the DNA they are testing against from the maternal line. These should match unless the soldier was adopted or kidnapped as a child.
Mar 04th, 2017 - 06:47 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I'm of the opion that identifying those soldiers who lost their life in this absurd war should be identified and their next of kin notified, allowing for them to close their cicle of mourning and know where their dear ones rest. They could eveneturn to the Islands and pay their respects and come full cicle This is certainly not a waste of money, time or effort.as BISLEY sustains.
Mar 04th, 2017 - 08:19 pm - Link - Report abuse +1aaaaaand... why are we having to do this? Because of the illegal invasion of a British Overseas Territory 35 years ago and the subsequent the arrogant stupidity of the Argentine officers who wouldn't assist with the identification of their own war dead. Dig them up; send them back
Mar 04th, 2017 - 10:06 pm - Link - Report abuse +5While I have never agreed to the remains staying on our land I do agree with identification for those families that need to know but that the bodies , all of them, should be returned to the Country they came from because they did not die on Argentine soil as many claim they died as a true invader of our land. Their Country still uses aggression towards us and we all know that this operation will become another tool in their argument a bit further down the road. Argentina has already made it clear that they will not give up until we are removed from our land. They preach that we do not exist. They have no respect for their dead because they chucked thousands into the Atlantic during their own internal affairs when 20,000 disappeared. Folk are fooling themselves if they believe formal identification will end the arguments, it wont rest assured.
Mar 04th, 2017 - 11:13 pm - Link - Report abuse +6@RichardS It's very unlikely that CWGC will ever have an identifiable grave for everyone - apparently there wasn't enough of my great grandfather to identify after he got on the wrong end of a large calibre artillery shell at Passchendaele.
Mar 05th, 2017 - 01:37 am - Link - Report abuse 0Apparently they remove names from the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing as and when identifiable remains are found and are reburied. It's been almost a century since the end of the war and there are still 54,896 names listed there.
The Dead have no idea of politics or of the machinations of those wanting to exploit.
Mar 05th, 2017 - 12:15 pm - Link - Report abuse +1It should be remembered that it was the Argentine themselves who removed the identities in the first place. Equally one should also remember that these unknown soldiers were from a small group of people who were left by their friends unidentified.
Mar 05th, 2017 - 08:10 pm - Link - Report abuse +2I visited this Commonwealth War Grave in Italy several years ago.
Mar 05th, 2017 - 08:50 pm - Link - Report abuse +2http://www.cwgc.org/find-cemetery/cemetery/2006400/GRADARA%20WAR%20CEMETERY
It is immaculately cared for and each grave has a name on it - I hope that Argentina can care for their deceased servicemen as well as the Commonwealth cares.
Apart from the closures that the families will hopefully get,
Mar 05th, 2017 - 09:12 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Just what is the Argentine government hoping to get out of this,?
The Argentine cemetery is not as well maintained and what they built is not suitable for the climate and unlikely to survive for very long. It is not a stone structure.
Mar 05th, 2017 - 09:14 pm - Link - Report abuse +2Commenting for this story is now closed.
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