As a great supporter of Help for Heroes I was really pleased to be invited to learn about one of their latest fundraising activities. Apparently devised after last years Army/Navy rugby match at Twickenham, several ex-services and others have decided to re-enact the Cockleshell Heroes raid in Bordeaux Harbour in June. The launch by Lord Brabourne at the Marine Museum in Eastney started with a display of all the equipment followed by the launch on the beach where they were canoeing to Stokes Bay for a barbeque with their families. The training has been extensive all through the winter and often at 4am in the morning which I suspect was very similar to what the original Cockleshell Heroes have been doing. All the canoeist have full time jobs so have to arrange the training in their spare time and are taking the 10 days for the trip out of the holiday.

This is a press release from them and you can find out more about the trip and how to donate any money at http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/cockleshell_heroes.html

‘Having had the opportunity to visit the wounded at Headley Court Tri-service Rehabilitation Centre we were profoundly humbled to meet some extraordinary people there. And so our aim is to re-trace the route taken by these brave men of WW2 to help the brave men and women of today by raising as much money as we can in aid of Help for Heroes/RNLI. We will be canoeing 70 miles up the Gironde River from out at sea, through its famous tidal races, stopping at 3 pre-planned LUP’s to Bordeaux Harbour where we will lay a wreath for all those who have given so much, then canoe 20 miles down to the extraction point where we will then get on pushbikes to continue our route 100miles in land taking the ‘Frankton Trail’ where the few that were left escaped and evaded the Germans to reach the resistance at Ruffec.’