World War I and II
Introduction
Situated in the South Atlantic, with a naval coaling station and a wireless station, the Falkland Islands, despite being so far from Europe, was seen as a strategic outpost by both sides. In August 1914 the German cruiser Dresden was in the South Atlantic and in September crossed into the Pacific Ocean. Admiral Von Spee left Tahiti with his squadron 22 September 1914 eastward bound and on 18 October left Easter Island and by 29 October was off Valparaiso. Admiral Craddock took his squadron to meet him and the Battle of Coronel was fought on 1 November 1914. Admiral von Spee then set his sights on the Falkland Islands and the Battle of the Falklands was fought 8 December 1914.
With the outbreak of World War II the Falkland Islands were again seen as being strategic due to their position and were heavily garrisoned against the perceived threat from Japan.
The local periodicals of the time, despite being subject to some censorship, are another good source of information for World War I and II and are available on our website.
World War I and II list of holdings
This database contains a listing of the government files and documents held. For ease of use the records have been sorted into categories: WAR and then into sub-categories. The government records mainly cover the period World War I to post World War II. The database will be updated from time to time as new accessions are added.
