TWENTY-FIVE years ago, Dean Regan was up to his neck in muck, blood and bullets.

He had sailed from Southampton to the Falklands on the QE2, and then on to San Carlos Water, where his unit distributed ammunition, rations and fuel.

He also acted as stretcher-bearer, moving wounded troops from helicopters to the field hospital, and guarded Argentine prisoners of war.

"I remember it as very cold, dirty and sometimes dangerous," said Dean. "I saw some terrible things, not least the day the Galahad was hit, and we were inundated with burns and blast casualties."

Dean, 47, was born in Lymington and educated at St Martin's Primary School in Sandford, and the Purbeck School in Wareham.

At 16, he joined the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, trained as a fuel specialist and served in Norway, Central America and Germany.

After the Argentine surrender, he commanded a section of soldiers maintaining the ship-to-shore bulk fuel pipeline to the temporary Harrier air-strip at Port San Carlos.

It was here that he met the crew of an Army Air Corps Gazelle helicopter, and decided to apply for pilot training.

He joined the Army Air Corps, and trained and served in Canada, Denmark, Germany, Cyprus, Bosnia and Northern Ireland.

Over the years he qualified to teach air combat, electronic warfare and helicopter weaponry, eventually retiring, in 2000, as a Warrant Officer Class One Flight Commander at Wattisham, East Anglia.

He helped form the Suffolk Constabulary Air Operations Unit, in the role of flight safety officer and pilot.

And all the while he was developing his long-standing love of painting, even accepting the occasional commission.

Then, two years ago, he became a relief pilot to the Suffolk and Essex police helicopter units, which meant he had to time to work as a professional artist.

Last year, Dean was accepted as a member of the International Society of Marine Painters, and worked on a collection of 25 oil paintings depicting events from the Falklands Conflict, including some he'd had direct personal involvement in.

The paintings are now on display at Felixstowe Museum (until October), with accompanying storyboards.

"Above everything, the pictures pay tribute to those who did not return," said Dean, who is married to Hilary, with a daughter, Hannah, 17.

A percentage of profits from sales of paintings and prints will be donated to Falklands Veterans charities.

l For more information, visit deanreganart.co.uk