Field Marshal Lord Richards — Portrait Sitting for Heroes in Focus

Field Marshal Lord Richards — Portrait Sitting for Heroes in Focus (Rory Lewis Photographer 2025)

Field Marshal David Julian Richards, Baron Richards of Herstmonceux, GCB, CBE, DSO, DL—appointed Honorary Field Marshal by His Majesty The King in June 2025—sat for my non-profit archive, Heroes in Focus, on Monday, 6 October 2025. This portrait marks a significant addition to our mission to document the living history of Britain’s senior military leadership.

Lord Richards’ distinguished career spans command in Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, and his tenure as Chief of the Defence Staff, the professional head of the British Armed Forces. In Sierra Leone, his decisive, morally clear actions helped avert catastrophe and safeguard countless lives—cementing his reputation as one of Britain’s most capable and compassionate commanders.

As Major General Alastair Bruce notes, the modern conferral of five-star rank is an honorary sovereign appointment—revived after the 1990s suspension of the substantive rank. The King’s elevation of Lord Richards and Lord Houghton of Richmond recognizes a lifetime of service at the very summit of command, awarded only after a suitable period in retirement to underscore its symbolic nature.

Field Marshal Lord Richards — Portrait Sitting for Heroes in Focus (Rory Lewis Photographer 2025)

The rank’s heritage runs deep: from medieval marshals to the 18th-century Field Marshal, the tradition is embodied by the baton—a sovereign’s gift, historically signifying supreme military trust. In due course, Their Lordships will receive a baton of red velvet topped by St George slaying the dragon, inscribed with their names and that of the King.

For this portrait I worked with restrained, sculptural light—chiaroscuro that draws the eye to character and command. The intention was simplicity with weight: to let presence speak, to honor service over spectacle, and to place Lord Richards within a lineage that stretches from campaign portraits of old to contemporary service at the highest level.

From early service with the Royal Artillery through command of ISAF in Afghanistan, to the office of CDS and later contributions in the Lords, Lord Richards’ career maps the arc of Britain’s modern military story. This portrait joins our growing Heroes in Focus archive—an educational, non-profit resource preserving the faces and testimonies of those who lead.