Fitzroy is a settlement on East Falkland. It is divided into Fitzroy North and Fitzroy South by a tidal river called Fitzroy River that is fed from a lake on the east side of Mount Whickham. The river was forded by Charles Darwin when he visited for a second time in 1834.[1]
It is named after Robert FitzRoy, who commanded HMS Beagle during Darwin's voyages,[2] and later developed a system of weather forecasting for the United Kingdom.[3] Fitzroy is on the inlet known as Port Pleasant.
During the 1982 Falklands War, naval auxiliary ships Sir Galahad and Sir Tristram, carrying contingents of The Welsh Guards, were bombed by the Argentine Air Force in the waters off Fitzroy whilst attempting to reinforce soldiers encamped there. A monument on each side of a small cove at Fitzroy commemorates each ship with dedications in English and Welsh on both.[4][5]
- ^ Stone, Phil. "CHARLES DARWIN IN THE FALKLAND ISLANDS, 1833 & 1834" (PDF). nora.nerc.ac.uk. p. 3. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
- ^ "The Geology of the Falkland Islands" (PDF). nora.nerc.ac.uk. p. 3. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
- ^ Moore, Peter (30 April 2015). "The birth of the weather forecast". BBC News. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
- ^ "Disaster for British at Bluff Cove". BBC News. 24 June 1982. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
- ^ "Fitzroy Memorials - Things to Do in the Falkland Islands". www.falklandislands.com. Retrieved 14 May 2018.