A gunner from RAF Leuchars has turned his tent in Afghanistan into an artist’s studio.
Against a backdrop of gunfire and exploding shells, every second Corporal Christian Boult is not required on the front line he can be found drawing.
Using nothing more than a graphite pencil, carbon sticks, sanguine oil and a putty eraser, his latest work recreates the moment American soldiers raised the Stars and Stripes at Iwo Jima during the Second World War.
Cpl Boult, of 58 Squadron RAF Regiment, was asked to draw the image by members of the 1/23 United States Marine Corps, also known as the Lonestar Battalion.
He was asked to paint the picture widely recognised as representing one of the USA’s greatest battle honours by Lonestar Battalion Gunnery Sergeant Miguel Moreno.
He admitted he could not resist the invitation and, after weeks of painstaking effort, has at last unveiled the work.
Incredibly, Cpl Boult said the end result was almost as much as a surprise for him as it was for his allies because it is so dark in his tent he is barely able to see what he is doing.
”It has been very enjoyable, but a challenge,” he said. ”I did an hour a night when I could in my tent. It was difficult in artificial light and I didn’t see it properly in natural daylight until I finished it and took it outside.”
A self-taught artist who has only been painting for four years, Cpl Boult began drawing following a clear-out at his then home in Coventry.
”My wife Jennifer went to art college and I found her old paints and brushes in the loft, so I thought I would give it a go,” he explained.
Following gifts of canvases and painting kits from friends and relatives for Christmases and birthdays, he soon got to grips with his new talent.
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Remarkably, the gunner’s preferred medium is oils and he normally specialises in portraits and landscapes.
However, he is happy to try his hand at other styles and, despite a degree of modesty inherent in all good artists, admitted he was pleased with his latest creation.
”All artists are perfectionists,” he said. ”You have to be. Nothing is perfect, but as long as Gunnery Sergeant Moreno likes it that is the main thing.”
The recipient certainly seems to have been impressed. After studying the picture in silence for a few moments, Sgt Moreno said: ”I am really touched by this. This will have a special place in my home.”
The picture was commissioned to mark the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.
Cpl Boult and his colleagues from RAF Leuchars are currently supporting the UN authorised, NATO led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission and the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).
Members of 58 Squadron are carrying out ”force protection” duties over 700 square kilometres of Helmand Province.
They arrived at Camp Bastion in April and are playing a key role in enabling the delivery of air power by defending the stronghold from indirect fire and ground attack.
Members are also protecting air assets from surface-to-air attack during take-off and landing.
The photograph depicting five Marines and a US Navy corpsman raising the flag at Iwo Jima on February 23 1945, is regarded as one of the most recognisable images of war.