A PORTRAIT honouring bell ringers from the Salisbury Diocese who were killed during the First World War has been unveiled.

The painting by Helen Chester is at The Wardrobe, the home of The Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire Museum in The Close, Salisbury, and was created for the Salisbury Diocesan Guild of Ringers.

An unveiling ceremony was held on October 1, attended by the Bishop of Salisbury, The Right Reverend Nicholas Holtam, who is the patron of the guild. Also present were Judith Williamson (Guild president), Robert Wellen (Guild master), Nigel Walker (trust chairman) and Helen.

The picture depicts the 90 known bell ringers from the diocese who were killed in the Great War, against a backdrop of the cathedral and some of the churches in the Diocese where they rang. The front fifteen ringers are actual likenesses, drawn from contemporary photographs.

The portrait was commissioned by the Guild in 2019 to feature on the front cover of its Great War memorial booklet and has been hung in the entrance hall of museum.