Veteran brings soldiers 'closer to fallen colleagues' with staggering artistic mission

A Gurkha who became the first double above-knee amputee to reach the peak of Mount Everest has praised the artwork of a fellow veteran for "bringing him closer to his fallen colleagues." Kevin Willis recently completed his 'Fallen of project which saw him paint the portrait of all 457 killed in the conflict.

Next month, he will travel to Nepal to present paintings to the families of the 15 soldiers from the Brigade of Gurkhas killed in action, to mark the end of a project described as a "labour of love." Hari Budha Magar MBE, who lost both of his legs in to an IED in 2010 and who served with some of the fallen, will accompany Kevin to Kathmandu for the emotional ceremony on Pokhara. He said: "I was wounded in Afghanistan, so this is very close to me and some way brings me closer to my fallen colleagues. This means a lot to me."

The project started in 2020 and after being overwhelmed by the response of families to the portraits of their fallen loved ones, Kevin committed to painting every fallen soldier in an attempt to bring comfort to grieving families.

He told the Express.co.uk: "It really was a labour of love at times but the response from those who I give the pictures to makes it all worthwhile.

"The 'Fallen of Afghanistan' project was an idea I had four years ago, and it felt like the right thing to do to make sure those who made the ultimate sacrifice are not forgotten.

"Being able to present the last few portraits to the museum in the presence of the families of fallen Gurkhas is a huge honour; and being able to draw a line under this project with such an expedition is amazing."

The trip to present the portraits to Nepalese families has been planned and funded by Veterans Can, a community interest company which seeks to showcase the best of what the veteran community can offer.

Speaking at an intimate ceremony in the UK prior to their departure, co-founder Garrath Williams says he is "chuffed to be able to help make the trip happen.

He said: "When I first met Kev, I wanted to find a way to show gratitude for this immense commitment, and as this was around the same time we launched Veterans Can...we put an idea to our community about getting behind Kev, and making this trip happen for him.

"I'm so chuffed we can do this, and it makes it all the more impactful having Hari involved, who has a close personal connection to some of the Gurkhas who were sadly killed in action."

The endeavour has also won praise from actress and Gurkha advocate Joanna Lumley who described the project as "quite wonderful."

She told : "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."

There are currently 4,000 Gurkhas serving in the , with their service dating back to 1816 when they were recruited into the East Indian Company after the warriors impressed British officers when they fought one another in the Anglo-Nepalese war two years earlier.

Each year, thousands of Nepalese men apply to join the with around 320 being chosen to start basic training following a rigorous and arduous selection process.