‘When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your Tomorrow, we gave our today.’ (Kohima Epitaph)
In honour of the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day landings, our managing director Liam Hanlon and financial director Richard Caffrey, the Tri-4-Life team and the Paul Lavelle Foundation embarked on a historic journey of remembrance.
The D-Day landings took place on 6 June 1944 and saw 156,000 Allied forces storm the beaches of Normandy to liberate the country from Nazi occupation. On that day there were 4,414 Allied deaths. It was the biggest seaborne operation in history. The Allies claimed victory on the Western Front but at a big cost, as more than 10,000 people lost their lives.
Over the course of four days (6 June to 9 June) a team of 65 veterans, former service personnel and their friends and family cycled 320 miles from Calais to Dunkirk, Ypres, Antwerp and Arnhem. They followed the route the British Expeditionary Forces took from the beaches of Dunkirk to the John Frost Bridge at Arnhem.
Day one, the team cycled to Calais in France. Once they arrived in Calais, they began their cycling challenge and cycled 31 miles to Dunkirk. Dunkirk is a small town on the North coast of France. Here the team paid respect at the Dunkirk memorial cemetery. At each memorial along the way the team laid four formal wreaths. One on behalf of the Mayor of Wirral, one on behalf of the Lord Lieutenant (Liam as Deputy Lieutenant was given permission to represent the Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside), The Armed Forces Covenant and the Liverpool Commonwealth Association, before cycling a further 40-miles to Ypres.
From Dunkirk the team cycled 75 -miles to the area of Passchendaele in Ypres this was a place of one of history’s most horrific battles. The team stayed the night here and paid their respects at the Menin Gate. The gate was built as a memorial to the missing men of World War One. It was here many of the Commonwealth soldiers started their journey into Flander’s Field, and one many never returned from. The team observed a minute silence at 8pm to those soldiers who gave their lives.
The team was up nice and early ready for day two of the journey. The team cycled 86-miles to Antwerp in Belgium. The memorial took place at Scoonselhoff Cemetery. Day three saw the team cycle 106 miles to Arnhem, finishing at The John Frost Bridge, which takes you across the Rhine River. Once the site of a big battle, where the Airbourne Parachute Regiment divisions formed part of ‘Operation Market Garden’ to take over the bridge. The Dutch destroyed the bridge in 1940, but the German’s rebuilt the bridge in 1944. The battle is reconstructed in the famous film, ‘A Bridge too Far’.
Day four was the final day of the journey and started by the team paying their respects at Oostebeek war memorial cemetery in Arnhem, where 1,684 World War Two Commonwealth servicemen are buried. For the memorial service, Garth Dallas, President of the Liverpool Commonwealth Association laid the wreath at Arnhem. From here the cyclists headed to Rotterdam a 78-mile trip to take the ferry home.
The team members would like to thank their sponsors, including Tranmere Rovers, who donated three minibuses for the journey, The Forshaw Group donated a minibus, van and fuel and GB Ultras who did the satellite tracking.
Liam Hanlon said about the journey, “Such a memorable experience with good friends. It was an honour to be able to represent the Lord Lieutenant outside of Merseyside and also to represent the Armed Forces Covenant and the Royal Marines. At one of the memorial services, I was invited to read the Kohima Epitaph, this is the engraving on the memorial of the 2nd Division in the cemetery of Kohima in Northeast India. Thank you to everybody who has donated.”
The event raised funds and awareness for the Paul Lavelle Foundation and highlighted the need for male support and wellbeing. The challenge also supported two of The Forshaw Groups’ named charities including Claire House and Scotty’s Little Soldiers. Claire House is a children’s hospice which helps seriously and terminal ill children and supports families through some of the toughest times of their lives. Scotty’s Little Soldiers a charity which offers support for bereaved military children.
The amazing journey has so far raised £9,800, and there is still time to support and donate here.
