OLD soldier Ron Childs was at art school before he was called up for service with the 5th South Staffordshire Infantry Regiment in the Second World War.
He earned the France and Germany Star for his part in the invasion of Europe, but when he was demobbed he "got fed up with art".
However, it is something the 86-year-old Bursledon resident has gone back to, and now an example of his prowess with the paintbrush is set to hang in Hampshire's only working windmill.
Ron, of Old Bridge House Road, decided to paint the village's historic structure and then asked Councillor Bernie Wright, a fellow member of the Solent Branch of the France and Germany Star Association, if the windmill would like it.
His offer was snapped up after Cllr Wright - who is Deputy Mayor of Eastleigh - told colleagues on the windmill's joint management committee. They promptly invited the artist to their next meeting to officially hand over the oil painting, which will be hung in a reception barn next to the windmill.
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