Fox Bay facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fox Bay
Locations within the Falkland Islands of Fox Bay and its namesakes Fox Bay East and Fox Bay West.

Fox Bay is a small town on West Falkland in the Falkland Islands. It's also known as Bahía Fox or Bahía Zorro in Spanish. It sits on a bay with the same name, on the island's southeast coast.

Fox Bay is actually split into two parts: Fox Bay East and Fox Bay West. When you count them together, they form the biggest settlement on West Falkland. However, if you look at them separately, Port Howard is the largest single town. Fox Bay got its name from the Falkland fox, an animal that used to live there but is now extinct.

In Fox Bay East, houses are spread out around a common area. You'll find a school, a shop, and a post office that started in the 1890s. There's also a social club and a place for RAF helicopters to refuel. Since 2015, the old post office building has a small postal museum.

Fox Bay has two airstrips. These are used by FIGAS Islander planes, which help people travel around the islands.

Fox Bay West used to be as big as Fox Bay East. But after the main farm was divided and sold in 1985, fewer people lived there. For a long time, the road between the two parts of Fox Bay was very bad, especially in winter. But in the early 1990s, a new all-weather road was built. This made it much easier for people to travel between the two settlements. This road was one of the first parts of the big West Roads project.

History of Fox Bay

Early Settlers and Farming

In July 1918, a man named James Innes Wilson moved to Fox Bay East Farm. He became a very successful and well-liked farmer. Before that, from 1909 to 1914, Wilson worked for the British government. He was a 'whaling inspector' on the island of South Georgia.

After the Falklands War, in 1983, the Falklands government bought Fox Bay East Settlement. They bought it from a company called Packe Brothers. The rest of the farm was split into three parts and sold to private owners. These new owners then bought houses in the settlement.

From the 1880s until 1972, towns like Darwin and Fox Bay had their own doctors. Since then, most medical care for the islands has been based in Stanley.

In 1985, Fox Bay West was also divided up and sold by the FIC.

Fox Bay During the Falklands War

During the Falklands War in 1982, Argentine soldiers took control of Fox Bay. About 900 soldiers were stationed there. They also placed many landmines around both parts of the settlement. These minefields have since been cleared away.

British Harrier planes attacked Fox Bay several times during the war. The Royal Navy also fired at the area. There were not many human injuries. However, a large Argentine ship called ARA Bahía Buen Suceso was hit. This ship was docked at Fox Bay East during the first British Harrier attack.

The Bahía Buen Suceso was a large transport ship. It was used to bring supplies to Argentine troops around the islands. Two British Sea Harrier jets attacked the ship. Because the ship was close to houses, the Harriers used their powerful 30 mm cannons instead of bombs. They damaged the ship's control room and engine room. They also caused a fire in a paint storage area and workshop on shore. One of the Harriers was hit by a small bullet during the attack. But the plane was still able to fly back safely to its ship, HMS Hermes.

During a storm in the war, the Bahía Buen Suceso partly broke free from its ropes. Its front part swung onto the beach. After the war ended, a tugboat pulled it away to San Carlos Water.

On April 27, 1982, 14 people from Stanley were sent to Fox Bay by the Argentines. They were kept under house arrest for the whole time the Argentines were in control. Some of these people were members of the Falkland Islands Defence Force.

British forces liberated Fox Bay on June 15, 1982. HMS Avenger and Royal Marines from 40 Commando helped free the town. Residents celebrate this day as their liberation day. In 2007, a memorial was put up to mark 25 years since the British victory.

Clearing Landmines

Many Argentine landmines were placed around Fox Bay West. Several accidents involving mines happened there over the years.

Almost 30 years after the war, a project began to clear the islands of about 19,000 landmines. A company called BACTEC International Ltd. was hired to clear four areas. These included Fox Bay, Goose Green, Sapper Hill, and Surf Bay. In early 2010, the work to clear mines started in Fox Bay.

Notable People from Fox Bay

• Louis Baillon, an Olympic field hockey player, was born in Fox Bay on August 5, 1881.
• George Paice, a Lawn Bowls player who competed in the Commonwealth Games, was born in Fox Bay in 1941.

See also

In Spanish: Bahía Fox para niños