A bespoke REME Arms School replay of the D-DAY Landing has netted more than £700 for Veterans Aid. Dressed in uniforms supplied by the REME Museum the participants rowed across the Channel, leopard-crawled across Gold Beach and then marched inland.
Each day of the challenge ended with a D-DAY quiz and funds were further boosted by a raffle and sale of home-made cakes.
This is the second year that the RAS has put its weight behind VA, more than doubling the amount raised by last year’s event.The entire Arborfield Garrison contributed to the effort either by donating or taking part – instructors, students, staff, military and civilians.
On behalf of Veterans Aid Col Geoffrey Cardozo said, “Carole Boast and the fabulous REME Arms School staff – military as much as ‘civvy’ – with the permission of their Chief Instructor, Lieutenant Colonel Peter Stradins, made a huge effort to put this on; a mammoth amount of planning with people’s meetings and schedules totally readjusted, just for us at VA, and that’s not to mention all the raffles etc.
“The actual physical bit – the rowing across the Channel for a couple of days, then the march after the ‘Landing’ – was quite a ‘calorie-burner’ but enjoyed, I’m told, particularly when that element of competition crept in. VA can’t thank them all enough for this truly astonishing feat . . .also for their dogged loyalty to us; I’m amazed.”
Picture shows (from left) Sgt Keith Page,Col Geoffrey Cardozo,Carole Boast and Lt Col Peter Stradins.
