A Sidmouth artist and art historian has presented her latest work to the Royal British Legion to hang in its Devon headquarters.

Diane Hughes presented her painting Comrades to John Pentreath this week, which will be put up in the room where mental health groups such as Combat Stress and Aftermath PTSD hold seminars and workshops for veterans suffering from combat trauma.

Diane said the painting was partly inspired by art workshops she had participated in with veterans suffering from combat trauma, and from her conversations with them. She said: “The painting draws attention to the disconnect between the present and memories of the past, the subconscious and dreams.”

Diane’s fellow artist John McDermott founded Aftermath PTSD, which organises the art workshops, and aims to promote awareness of post-traumatic stress disorder through the media, its website and art exhibitions of veterans paintings.

Her next project will be to complete the final painting in the trio of work concerning the three armed forces, with Comrades referring to the Army, and the Royal British Legion already own one of her paintings concerning the RAF.

The final one will feature the Royal Navy, and Diane says she wants it to reflect the Falklands War in some way, as many of the Veterans she meets who suffer from PTSD are veterans of that conflict.