Dame Joanna Lumley praises veteran artist who painted the fallen from Afghanistan
Dame Joanna Lumley has praised the work of a veteran artist who has painted all 457 personnel in the British military who fought and died in Afghanistan.
Kev Wills is now preparing to travel to Nepal to deliver the portraits of the fallen Gurkha officers and soldiers he has painted to their families in person.
Dame Joanna attended a ceremony in Aldershot in Princes Gardens at the memorial that depicts the first Nepalese Gurkha recipient of the Victoria Cross, to remember the fallen ahead of Kev's trip.
Her father was a regular soldier and a Gurkha soldier, and she described the paintings as beautiful and urged people never to forget the sacrifices of those who gave their lives.
"This is incredibly important to me to be here today," the actress and activist told BFBS Forces News.
"Their pictures are going back to their families, painted by Kev so beautifully and so catching their spirit exactly.
"The last paintings of the Gurkhas are going back out to Nepal to hang proudly in their family homes. I think it's quite wonderful, we must never forget."
Since 2020, Mr Wills has painted, framed, and sent each portrait to the next of kin, friend, former colleague or unit of the fallen so they are never forgotten.
He said the response from the families to his art has been "overwhelming and very emotional".
"The response has been outstanding and I'm just so lucky and honoured to have painted them allā¦ I'll be happy when the portraits are in Nepal and in their final homes," he said.
In May, funded by the Veterans Can organisation, Kev will be joined by Gurkha veteran Hari Budha Magar and travel to Kathmandu to meet representatives of the Gurkha Welfare trust.
They will present the portraits in a special ceremony in Pokhara at the Gurkha Memorial Museum to the families of the fallen.
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