Two RAF veterans have started a 690-mile cycle challenge with a service in memory of a Cornish comrade who died in the Gulf War.
RAF veterans Mal Craghill and Martin Wintermeyer cycled from St Eval to Okehampton on Friday for the first stage of the Tornado Tribute Tour of England.
The challenge, which will raise money for the Royal Air Forces Association, is in memory of friends and colleagues killed training for and during the first Gulf War.
Mal and Martin were all set for their Tornado Tribute Tour of England (TTTE) to start on February 19. Lockdown three put paid to their plans for this ride, but the intrepid pair were not deterred.
After training hard for months, Mal and Martin started their ten-day ride in Cornwall on Friday with a service in St Eval for Flight Lieutenant Steve Hicks of XV Squadron. Lft Hicks died in action on February 14, 1991 and was previously a member of 42 Squadron, stationed at RAF St Mawgan.
The pair were joined by Johnny Mercer, MP for Plymouth, Moor View.
Speaking of the ride, Johnny said beforehand: “I was delighted to have been invited to join Mal and Martin on the first day of their cycle ride commemorating the anniversary of the Gulf War. I look forward to chatting to them about their experiences while riding through the beautiful scenery of Cornwall and Devon.”
The evening before setting off, the team met with Wing Commander Marshall Kinnear, the Station Commander at RAF St Mawgan who said: “RAF St Mawgan maintains extremely close ties with those Service families in the region, and we are extremely grateful to be part of this incredible act of remembrance.
"Our thoughts are with all of those friends and families who lost loved ones in the Gulf War and we wish Martin, Mal and the rest of the team the very best of luck on their journey.”
On their way up the country, Mal and Martin will visit and lay wreaths at all the English grave sites of the Tornado aircrew lost in the Middle East 30 years ago, as well as the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire to pay their respects at the Gulf War Memorial and the Armed Forces Memorial.
The latter commemorates not just the seven Tornado aircrew killed on deployed operations, but also those lost in training accidents in the UK. They will also remember the two pilots from the RAF Jaguar force who were killed. In total Mal and Martin will honour the memory of 13 RAF and one US Air Force aircrew.
Mal and Martin had originally hoped to raise £10,000 for the Royal Air Forces Association, the charity that supports the RAF family, but they have reached over £18,000.
Martin said: “Mal and I want to thank everyone who has supported us so far, from our sponsors, to those who joined us virtually on our training rides, to those who have kindly made donations to the RAF Association and most of all to the families of the guys we lost. Their support has meant so much to us.”
Mal added: “We have been preparing for this ride for almost a year, so it is great to finally get going. The ride will give us both the opportunity to think and reflect, and process the grief we weren’t able to confront 30 years ago.”
You can follow the TTTE progress on Facebook or Twitter (@TTTE1991) and you can make a donation at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/TTTE
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here