Search for mystery artist behind Falklands mural at HMS Raleigh

A search is under way to find the artist behind a mysterious Falklands War painting discovered at HMS Raleigh in Cornwall.

The mural, which is 20ft wide (6m) and 6ft tall (2m), was found in a disused classroom at the training facility near Torpoint.

It is thought to depict a scene from the Bluff Cove Air Attacks more than 40 years ago on 8 June 1982.

Jon Rickman-Dawson, facilities manager at the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), said they wanted to give the artist credit for the painting.

Speaking about how he discovered the painting, he said: “I walked into what was a classroom and on the wall I noticed a very unusual piece of artwork.

“I took photos of it and started to ask questions to people who have worked on the site for a long time as to what they knew about it.

“My hope is that someone will see the picture and it will make them remember something.”

Mr Rickman-Dawson said other bases had “great gold-framed oil canvases” but “we have got this”.

“It would be great to credit someone,” he said.

The mural is thought to show a burning ship, RFA Sir Galahad, during the attack at Bluff Cove during the Falklands War.

It was the greatest loss of British life throughout the conflict, with 56 British personnel killed in the attack.

Of those who died, 48 perished in the bombing of HMS Sir Galahad alone.

Mark Eve, who was a Chief Petty Officer in the Royal Navy during the war, said the artwork made him feel “very emotional”.

“There are things in the painting that I can see, but nobody else can, but then when other veterans have looked at it, they see what I see,” he said.

“That’s the marvellous effect it has on you.

“It’s a little bit abstract in some respects, but it encapsulates everything about the Falklands conflict.”

The DIO said the artwork was thought to have been painted between 1982 and 2010 and, due to its level of detail, the painter was “most likely” someone who was there on the day of the attacks.

It has since been refurbished and is now displayed in the Trainees’ Bar at HMS Raleigh.

The DIO asked anyone who knows who may have painted the piece to contact them.