On 24-27 Sep 13, a HAC team of 5 cyclists will cycle from Wellington Barracks, London to Waterloo in Belgium in aid of The Colonel's Fund Grenadier Guards. The fund supports those Grenadiers who have been seriously injured in Afghanistan, and to the families of those who have been killed.
The Honourable Artillery Company has had a long association with The Grenadier Guards. Both Regiments have been responsible for guarding the monarch and even today the HAC's uniform is a mirror of the Grenadiers except the HAC wear silver instead of Gold. In WW2 the HAC became known as the Guards plumbers as they helped plugged "the leaks in the Guards lines" in North Africa.
More recently The Grenadiers have carried out 3 tours in Helmand Province and have lost 15 members of the Regiment who were killed in action; in addition, the Regiment has sustained a large number of battle casualties, with many suffering life changing injuries. And of course, there remains the unquantifiable number of young men who will have suffered mentally and who will need our support in the future.
We ask you to dig deep. Any contribution, however small, will make a difference - it all adds up and will take us one step nearer to reaching our target and ensure that the HAC is well placed in assisting its sister regiment.
Below HRH Prince Philip, Colonel, Grenadier Guards (And HAC member) explains further:
"One of the most valuable features of the regimental system is the sense of comradeship which it creates between present and past members of the Regiment, and with all their families and friends. It is always there, but, when the need arises, it can be turned into tangible and appropriate support.
The'Wellington to Waterloo Bicycle Ride', and the fund-raising events surrounding it, are intended to convert that sense of comradeship into a practical regimental response to the severe stresses suffered by so many of its members, and to provide practical help for the bereaved families of those who have been killed in action, and for those who have suffered serious injury in recent operations. I hope you will feel able to support this novel fund-raising event."
If you would like to see more information about The Colonel's Fund Grenadier Guards, go to www.grengds.com and click on The Colonel's Fund tab.
As you might imagine, for us, doing this bike ride is a major challenge, not least for the sore bottom from which we will undoubtedly suffer and to say nothing of the embarrassment of wearing lycra! WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT! Zay!
