THE CHAIRMAN of the Swindon Royal Naval Association will take part in a 4x4 rally next year in a bid to boost funds for Help for Heroes.

The Help for Heroes 4x4 European Rally 2012 takes place on June 16 and involves 45 vehicles trekking from Wiltshire through to France, and encompassing six European countries over a period of 12 days, concluding in Bavaria in Germany.

The route tells the story of the Allied Invasion through Europe and as the journey progresses, so will the history with some parts of the route including areas of the Western Front of the First World War.

Warrick Green, 46, along with Chris Hedges, also a member of the association, will take part in the 2,000-mile trek to raise money for the charity.

Warrick said: “I have always been interested in history courtesy of my father, who always had an interest in it. Being ex- Navy myself , I have always supported Help for Heroes because it is such a worthy cause and these men and women don’t get an awful lot of help when they get home.”

In addition to Normandy, the rally route will visit The Somme, Ypres, the Market Garden and Rhine offensives at Arnhem, where on September 17, 1944, in the largest airborne operation ever seen, thousands of paratroopers descended from the sky by parachute or glider up to 150km behind enemy lines.

The route then moves south, to Bastogne in Belgium where in the coldest winter for decades, the Germans made a final push – The Battle of the Bulge.

Towards Germany, the rally route is via the Alsace region of France and its Maginot Line fortifications, then onto Dachau and its horrors of war.

The journey will end at Hitler’s “impenetrable” Eagle’s Nest at Berchtesgaden.

Warrick, who spent Saturday afternoon selling Help for Heroes merchandise in the town centre, said: “It is a mixture of fun, socialising and raising funds for charity and every single penny raised will go to Help for Heroes.

“A lot of the people going will have done this kind of thing before so their vehicles will be all decked out with the equipment, but it is our first time. It is going to be a real adventure.”

To find out about the rally visit www.h4hrally.co.uk and to sponsor the pair, known as Team Blues Brothers, visit www.

bmycharity.com/TeamBluesBrothers.