Our first initiative was providing support to The Fallen of Afghanistan, a series of portraits by veteran artist Kev Wills of British military personnel killed during operations in Afghanistan.
In 2020, Kev began painting portraits of all 457 individuals, before framing and sending the pictures to their next of kin or nominated recipients.
Before Kev could conclude this project, he needed to deliver the final 11 portraits to the families of the Gurkha soldiers. Some families lived in the UK, but most were in Nepal – and this was where Veterans Can… came in.
Expedition Nepal 2025
Veterans Can… agreed to provide planning and funding support to get Kev and his portraits to the families of the fallen, and we were proud to work with Kev and many others to make this hugely powerful project happen.
After two moving events in Aldershot and Winchester, which were both attended by many friends and family members, in May 2025, Kev and esteemed royal photographer and fellow Veteran Chris Jelf flew from the UK to Kathmandu in Nepal. On arrival they were met by members of the Gurkha Welfare Trust and Hari Budha Magar MBE, the Gurkha Veteran who, in 2023, became the first double above-knee amputee to summit Mount Everest.
From there the team travelled, overland, to Pokhara in SW Nepal, where Kev and Hari presented the portraits to the families of the fallen Gurkhas during a respectful ceremony at the Gurkha Memorial Museum, before returning to the UK after a day exploring Kathmandu.
Kev Wills
Veteran & Portrait Artist
As well as ensuring we do our best to offer thanks to Kev and enabling him to draw a line under this project, we want to capture the event to share with others. So, Chris Jelf, also a Veteran and now an experienced and well-respected (Royal) photographer will accompany Kev and Hari on this trip to capture the emotion, the important moments and the breath taking scenery in the shadows of the Himalayas.
“To be working alongside Veterans Can… means a great deal to me as a proud Veteran myself, and the fact Veterans Can… Deliver is the first project the community will be getting behind makes it even more exciting!”
Hari Budha Magar MBE
“I am very happy to get involved with handing over portraits of fallen Gurkhas who were killed in Afghanistan to their families in Nepal. I was injured in Afghanistan, so this is very close to me and somehow brings me closer to my fallen colleagues. This means a lot to me.”
The Fallen of Afghanistan – Launch
Formal Farewell: “Fallen of Afghanistan” Portrait Collection
Unveiling: “Fallen of Afghanistan” Portrait Collection, Nepal
This expedition was fully planned by Veterans Can… and team members selected to travel were drawn from the Veterans Can… community. Delivering these portraits in person was made possible by the funding allocated from the Veterans Can… Deliver programme.