Memorials

Falklands Memorial Plantation
 Created 12-08-2005   Last update 05-01-2014

During April 1982 the United Kingdom went to war with Argentina in a dispute over British sovereignty of the Falkland Islands. This event became known as The Falklands Conflict. On 14 June 1982 Argentine forces surrendered to Major-General Jeremy Moore; it had taken the lives of 255 British servicemen and 3 civilians to make this happen.

In December 1982, to commemorate the British War dead from the campaign, a Falklands Memorial Plantation consisting of 258 Beech trees - one for each serviceman and civilian killed -  were planted near the top of Portsdown. The dedication ceromony was carried out on 6th Dec 1982 by Lt. Col. Sir James Scott Bt. Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire. The trees were donated by the Tree Council. 
  

Contributor: Richard Jones - Portsdown Hill Countryside Officer

Grid Ref SU660063

Google Earth Aerial View

 
 
aerial view of the plantation

 The Falklands Memorial Plantation, circled in red, is situated 80 yards south of the Churchillian pub and the same distance again west from the Viewpoint.
 
 
 
  Northern view of the plantation

 Looking southwest. In the mid ground is the Falklands Memorial Plantation and beyond that the City of Portsmouth. The Spinnaker Tower  can just be made out one third along from the left. 
 
 
 
Inside the plantation

 The pathway inside the plantation. Incredibly no maintenance work ever seems to have taken place in or around the plantation and there is no memorial plaque. The whole site feels as if it has managed to achieve the opposite to what was intended. It is suspected that the trees were planted on an SSSI without consent from the then Nature Conservancy Council.
 

UPDATE - 05-01-2014

On 6 December 2012, exactly 30 years after the initial dedication of the plantation, it was rededicated by HM Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire, Dame Mary Fagan DCVO JP to mark the 30th anniversary of the Falklands War.

Previous to this much work was carried out by the Portsdown Hill Conservation Volunteers to give this woodland a well deserved clean up. Happily, the sentiment reflected in the above photo is no longer true. There is now a memorial plaque.