A new photographic exhibition and gallery display has opened at the Historic Dockyard Chatham to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the outbreak of the Falklands War, a 74-day conflict fought over the Falkland Islands.
Falklands 40: Everything Changed
Everything Changed, by photographer and journalist Graham Bound, showcases a unique photographic journey through the eyes of a local journalist in occupied Port Stanley. The collection of 40 photographs provides a rare record of Argentina’s invasion, the subsequent war, and its aftermath. The launch date marks 40 years to the day when the British Government dispatched the first ships of the Royal Naval taskforce to engage with Argentine forces in 1982.
Graham Bound, who was born in the Falklands, was 24 years old at the time of the conflict and the editor of the Port Stanley newspaper, Penguin News. Under Argentine occupation, publication of the paper ceased and Graham began to record what was going on around him in occupied Stanley. 40 years later, Graham worked with Alex Schneideman, Flow Photographic, to digitise and restore the faded prints and produce never-before-seen new prints from negatives that had never previously been printed.
Graham said, “Some of the images are not particularly pleasant to look at. Interesting, yes, but not enjoyable. Fortunately, the grimmest reality is hidden in the deep black shadow of the monochrome prints. But in some of the photos, light falls on the faces and the eyes of men and we gain a glimpse of their emotions: despair, pride, exhaustion, determination and fear.
“Almost 40 years after I took the photographs, Alex performed digital photographic magic and brought my magic to life. Some of my once written-off photos are now the most dramatic in the exhibition. I hope these photographs remind people of the dramatic and dangerous days of 1982; the time when Everything Changed.”
Everything Changed will be on display from 5 April – 14 June and admission is included in an entry ticket to The Historic Dockyard Chatham.
Falklands 40: In Their Own Words
Within the Steam, Steel and Submarines gallery at The Historic Dockyard Chatham will be a new display focussing on the personal stories of those who experienced the conflict either on active service, or back home in Chatham. This display will document Chatham’s role in the conflict, including the Chatham-based vessels HMS Endurance, HMS Plymouth, HMS Courageous, HMS Conqueror, HMS Valiant, HMS Herald, and HMS Hydra.
As part of this new exhibit, the Trust is appealing to anyone who served in the Falklands conflict, or worked at the dockyard during the time, to come forward with their stories. In Their Own Words will become a digital exhibition featuring voice recordings from those who remember significant occasions at the dockyard during the conflict.
Nick Ball, Collections, Galleries and Interpretations Manager, Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust said, “It is important that the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust marks the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War. The Dockyard played such a significant role in the conflict, providing support to the Royal Navy, and as home to the Stand-by Squadron, poised to replace warships allocated to the Falklands taskforce. The Dockyard workforce worked 24 hours a day to prepare ships and submarines for recommissioning. Despite Government plans to close the Dockyard in 1981, the conflict meant it stayed open until 1984. In this exhibition, shown both in the gallery and online, we hear from some of the voices that were in the South Atlantic or in Chatham during those momentous 74 days in 1982.”
