British occupation of the Faroe Islands on 9 April 1940, British forces launched "Operation Valentine" to occupy the Faroe Islands. On 11 April, Winston Churchill — then First Lord of the Admiralty — announced to the House of Commons that the Faroe Islands would be occupied: We are also at this moment occupying the Faroe Islands, which belong to Denmark and which are a strategic point of high importance, and whose people showed every disposition to receive us with warm regard. We shall shield the Faroe Islands from all the severities of war and establish ourselves there conveniently by sea and air until the moment comes
Flora of the Faroe Islands the abundance of "Corylus" pollen in deep layers, suggest that at least some local stands of birch and hazel trees were present in the Faroe Islands, prior to human settlement. Four species of willow are still present in the Faroe Islands: "Salix herbacea" is very common in the mountains, but the other three species: "Salix phylicifolia", "Salix lanata" and "Salix arctica" are only to be found in a few places, due to heavy grazing by animals. Only one evergreen, "Juniperus communis" (the prostrate form) grows naturally in the Faroe Islands, and small populations are spread throughout the islands, though for