A striking painting of the Falklands War has prompted a search to find the artist behind it.

Recently, Jon Rickman-Dawson, facilities manager for HMS Raleigh, a training establishment for new recruits to the Royal Navy, discovered an unusual mural hidden away in one of the classrooms.

The mural is 20 feet long by six tall and is thought to depict the Bluff Cove air attacks during the Falklands War, in June 1982. The attacks saw the bombing of the RFA Sir Galahad, which was the greatest loss of British life throughout the conflict.  The painting has been described as looking like the darkest scene from a graphic fantasy novel but it actually depicts one of the bleakest moments in recent naval history.

The painting was found in a disused classroom, not used since the late 2000s.

While the tragic battle is well known, who painted the mural and why remains a mystery. Was it someone who was there or a talented artist who served at HMS Raleigh sometime between 1982 and 2010.

Raleigh’s Commander, Commander Sean Brady, said the base was keen to trace the artist and put the story behind the painting into context: “What we want is to find who the artist is, where they are now and what they were trying to show with this painting. 

“I personally thought the artist was trying to show the reality of what happens in conflict and this picture shows it really well.”

DIO launches search to find the artist of mysterious Falklands painting

Thanks to Alaric Bond for contributing to this post.