A Bromsgrove-born army veteran has finished painting portraits of every soldier who died in Afghanistan.
Kevin Wills, aged 46, from Oakenshaw in Redditch, has completed a total of 457 portraits of fallen service personnel as a token of remembrance for their families.
Mr Wills, who was born in Bromsgrove and spent six years in the Royal Logistic Corps, has worked tirelessly since 2021 to finish the project which holds a special place in his heart.
He said: "I fell into the project by accident at first after painting a portrait of the fallen marine David O'Connor. When I sent it to his family, they were completely overjoyed and it just took off from there with other families getting in touch to see if I could paint their loved ones.
"Another veteran, Nigel Hancock, also contacted me after seeing the work and said 'let's paint them all', so he helped set up a crowdfunder to cover the costs.
"It's been a lot of hard work alongside my full-time job, but I'm so glad that I completed the challenge. Not only as I've always had an affinity with the armed forces and lost friends in Afghanistan, but it makes me so emotional to be able to give back to the families of the fallen."
Mr Wills has been overwhelmed by the reaction from the families to the portraits and has received a number of letters and thank you cards for his work.
Despite completing all the paintings, Mr Wills is still raising funds to frame the final 130 portraits before giving them to the families and is grateful for any support.
There are also 65 portraits still to be claimed by the next-of-kin with a gallery available to view on the website for families who want to come forward.
He said: "I've only personally handed over three of the soldier portraits, but it means a lot to have played a part in keeping their memories alive and never forgetting their sacrifice.
"There have been a lot of late nights to get the project completed, but it was worth it to show the families that we are still thinking of their loved ones."
To donate to the project visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-fallen-of-afghanistan-26#start
To view the paintings and unclaimed portraits visit www.thefallenofafghanistan.co.uk
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