Captain Massey, 1st Battalion The Rifles Portrait Donation to The Rifles Berkshire & Wiltshire Museum

Captain Massey, 1st Battalion The Rifles Portrait Donation to The Rifles Berkshire & Wiltshire Museum

I am very pleased to be able to provide The Rifles Berkshire & Wiltshire Museum with a portrait of Captain Massey, from the 1st Battalion, The Rifles, for inclusion in their newly redeveloped galleries in Salisbury.

The museum, which charts the history of The Rifles and their antecedent regiments of Berkshire and Wiltshire, is currently undertaking a significant redevelopment project—refreshing its displays to better reflect both heritage and the modern regiment. I was honoured to learn that one of the museum’s trustees encountered a portrait I created during my Soldiery project and felt it would be a fitting representation of today’s Rifles within that renewed narrative.

This portrait was created as part of the 1st Battalion, The Rifles Portrait Sittings, photographed in 2021 under the Rory Lewis Non-Profit, an initiative dedicated to preserving military history through museum-grade portraiture. All of the work with The Rifles was undertaken on a non-profit basis, with the intention that the images could ultimately live beyond the studio—within regimental spaces, archives, and public institutions.

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Soldiery and The Rifles

Soldiery remains one of the most challenging and rewarding projects of my career. Following the conclusion of its exhibitions, I have been proud to see individual portraits continue their journey into museums and collections where they can serve a lasting historical purpose.

Among the many regiments I photographed, the 1st Battalion, The Rifles stands out for its deep-rooted traditions and enduring character. Little has changed in ethos since the Napoleonic Wars. Defined by independence, precision, and quiet professionalism, The Rifles remain true to their motto: Swift and Bold.

They carry no colours. Instead, their Battle Honours—34 in total—are worn on the belt plate, a visible inheritance of the regiment’s distinguished lineage. The bugle, emblematic of The Rifles since the 18th century, replaced the drum for its clarity and reach—its call capable of carrying orders across miles of battlefield. Today, that tradition endures, with bugle calls still marking the rhythm of regimental life. The Rifles sound Retreat rather than beat it, a distinction uniquely their own.

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At Chepstow

When I arrived at Chepstow, home of the 1st Battalion, I was greeted by a young officer barely in his twenties. Behind the lens, I photographed soldiers as young as eighteen—each demonstrating composure, humility, and an unmistakable sense of duty. To encounter such discipline and professionalism at so early a stage in their careers was both humbling and deeply moving.

The portrait of Captain Massey reflects that continuity—an image rooted in history yet unmistakably modern. It is precisely this balance that the museum’s redevelopment seeks to convey, and I am delighted that the work will contribute to that mission.

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Preserving Living History

Through the Rory Lewis Non-Profit, my aim has always been to preserve not only the image of the soldier, but the essence of service—duty, resilience, and pride—so that future generations may better understand the men and women who serve today.

I am grateful to The Rifles Berkshire & Wiltshire Museum for their care, scholarship, and commitment to telling the regiment’s story, and I am pleased that this portrait will now form part of their permanent narrative of the modern Rifles.

Rory Lewis
Rory Lewis Non-Profit