Walking The Wall. 43rd Falklands Anniversary Yomp.
Adam Wilkinson is raising money for RMA - The Royal Marines Charity
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Twenty would-be naval officers will yomp the length of Hadrian’s Wall in memory of Falkland heroes.
More used to outdoor activities on nearby Dartmoor, the Officer Cadets from Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth intend to walk from the West Coast to East along the remains of the UK’s most famous Roman relic.
The cadets – all due to complete their training and pass out of the famous naval institution a couple of weeks after the trek – have all volunteered, with the goal of raising £5,000 for Royal Marines and their families.
The march is being staged in memory of 45 Commando whose green berets famously yomped across the East Falkland in May and June 1982.
The cadets won’t face the temperatures and weather endured by the Royal Marines who faced a bleak march over boggy terrain in rain, sleet and snow – not to mention fighting with the invaders - to ultimately reach the Falklands capital of Stanley and bring about the enemy’s surrender.
Forty-three years later, Captain Adam Wilkinson RM, divisional officer for the cadets of Howe Division, reckons the potential leaders of tomorrow’s Navy should cover the 56 miles of Hadrian’s Wall in three days.
“Sustaining themselves with rations and sleeping in bivvies [small tents] will replicate just a fraction of the challenges 45 Commando faced during their symbolic yomp,” Capt Wilkinson said.
“We’ll be putting grit and determination to the test and encompassing the Royal Marines’ Corps ethos: Courage, Determination, Selflessness plus Cheerfulness.
Proceeds will go to the RMA - The Royal Marines Charity – which helps serving members and veterans of the Corps, and their families, when in difficulty.
For more information on the RMA PSB.