Guards
This portrait, created as part of the ongoing work of the Rory Lewis Non-Profit, documents General Sir Roly Walker, the professional head of the British Army.
Commissioned into the Irish Guards in 1993, General Walker has commanded at company, battle group, brigade, and strategic levels, with operational service in Northern Ireland, Afghanistan, and Iraq. He commanded the Grenadier Guards in 2009 and later served across brigade, divisional, army, and strategic headquarters.
Read MoreIn October 2025, I had the honor of photographing Major General James Bowder OBE, the third consecutive Major-General of the Household Division I have captured for the Rory Lewis Non-Profit. Following my portraits of Major General Benjamin Bathurst CBE and Major General Chris Ghika CBE, this latest sitting continues an evolving visual record of those entrusted with upholding the highest traditions of the British Army and the Crown.
Read MoreAmong the most meaningful moments in my non-profit archive was the privilege of photographing Field Marshal Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank. It was not simply a portrait sitting, but an encounter with a man whose life spanned the defining military and political chapters of modern Britain.
Read MoreIn 2022, Rory Lewis Non-Profit was honoured to record a formal portrait of General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith, KCB, CBE, undertaken in London during his tenure as Chief of the General Staff. The commission was created for permanent display within the gallery of former Chiefs—an historic lineage marking the stewardship of the British Army’s senior leadership.
Read MoreIn 2021, I had the privilege of photographing Major GeneralChris Ghika CBE at Horse Guards, London — a setting steeped in history, once occupied by the Duke of Wellington himself. The portrait sought to capture not just a military leader, but a custodian of national pageantry and heritage.
Read MoreIn 2019, the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards commissioned a series of portraits of their Commanding Officer and Senior Warrant Officers, photographed in Windsor. These sittings form a vital addition to the Rory Lewis Non-Profit Military Portrait Archive, an ongoing effort to document the leadership and heritage of British and Allied service members. The project seeks to protect these likenesses for national history, museum collections, and future generations.
Read MoreOur 2019 sitting with Major General Benjamin Bathurst CBE of the Welsh Guards took place at Horse Guards, London, within the historic office once occupied by the Duke of Wellington. Seated behind the very desk that once belonged to the “Iron Duke,” Bathurst joined a long line of leaders who have shaped the ceremonial face of Britain’s Armed Forces.
Read MoreOne of the most meaningful opportunities through my non-profit archive has been the privilege of photographing senior figures within the British Armed Forces. Among these sittings, capturing a British Field Marshal stands as both an artistic milestone and a moment of profound historical significance.
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