A Birmingham soldier will follow in the footsteps of the brave servicemen who risked their lives during the Normandy Landings in the Second World War to raise cash for military charities.
Rifleman Daniel Hill, 18, of the 5th Battalion The Rifles, is taking part in the Project 65 D-Day Ultra Marathon to mark the 65th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy.
He is one of 215 soldiers who will leave the RAF base at Tarrant Rushton Airfield in Dorset on June 4, where the gliders took off from in 1944, and on landing in Normandy will run 65 miles to Pegasus Bridge, near Ouistreham. The runners are due to arrive at 12.16am on June 6, the same time the gliders landed at the start of D-Day.
Mr Hill has not long returned from an operational tour in Iraq where he got in some much-needed training. He said: “I know I have been lucky on this tour but you watch the news and see how soldiers have needed these charities.
Daniel’s regiment has already raised £42,000 but is trying to reach £250,000. For more details, visit www.justgiving.com/5rifles or go to www.project65.net
