Field Marshal Lord Richards — Portrait Sitting

Rory Lewis Photographer | October 2025

Field Marshal Lord Richards — Portrait Sitting - Copyright © Rory Lewis Non Profit (Heroes in Focus), All Rights Reserved. The Heroes in Focus non-profit is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity. EIN 33-2920765 All contributions to Heroes in Focus are tax-deductible according to IRS regulations.

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 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 through the art of portraiture.

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. His decisive and morally clear leadership during the Sierra Leone campaign helped avert catastrophe and save 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 a sovereign appointment—revived after the 1990s suspension of the substantive rank. The King’s elevation of Lord Richards and Lord Houghton of Richmond to Honorary Field Marshals recognizes lifetimes of service at the very summit of command, traditionally awarded only after a period in retirement to underline its symbolic nature.

Field Marshal Lord Richards — Portrait Sitting - Copyright © Rory Lewis Non Profit (Heroes in Focus), All Rights Reserved. The Heroes in Focus non-profit is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity. EIN 33-2920765 All contributions to Heroes in Focus are tax-deductible according to IRS regulations.

The rank’s heritage runs deep. From medieval marshals to the eighteenth-century Field Marshal, the tradition is embodied by the baton—a royal gift 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 employed restrained, sculptural lighting—chiaroscuro influenced by Caravaggio—to draw attention to character and command. The intention was simplicity with weight: to let presence speak, to honour 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 in the Royal Artillery, through command of ISAF in Afghanistan, to the office of Chief of the Defence Staff and later contributions in the House of Lords, Lord Richards’ career traces the arc of Britain’s modern military story. This portrait joins a growing non-profit archive—an educational record preserving the faces and legacies of those who have led with honour and distinction.