Rally the troops in an old faithful

7:30pm Sunday 17th June 2012 in News By Matthew Edwards

Ray Pipe and Ian Fraser with their trusty Hotchkiss Jeep Ray Pipe and Ian Fraser with their trusty Hotchkiss Jeep

TWO Royal Mail employees will be hoping to deliver a jeep to Germany as they take part in a Help for Heroes rally.

The award-winning Help for Heroes 4x4 European Rally has raised more than £300,000 for the charity since its launch on Armed Forces Day in 2010.

This year Ian Fraser and Ray Pipe, who work for Royal Mail Engineering, will be entering in Ian’s 1962 M201 Hotchkiss Jeep.

Their official team name is “La Jeep” and they will be driving 2,000 miles over 12 days following the Allies’ path from the south of England through France to Germany. The pair will drive the Hotchkiss Jeep, a later but almost exact version of the Willy Jeep used during the Allied Invasion.

The event started on Saturday at Littlecote House Hotel in Wiltshire. After using byways on Salisbury Plain they travel to Portsmouth for the ferry to France.

They will take in The Somme, Ypres, and Arnhem, where on September 17, 1944, thousands of paratroopers descended from the sky by parachute or glider up to 150km behind enemy lines.

The route moves south to Bastogne in Belgium where the Germans made a final push – The Battle of the Bulge.

Towards Germany, the rally goes via the Alsace region of France and its Maginot Line fortifications, then Dachau, ending at Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest at Berchtesgaden on June 28.

Ian says they entered the Jeep because they wanted to experience driving it in places like Arnhem and Dachau. They hope the 50-year-old Jeep will handle the conditions.

“We’re essentially following the route of ‘Easy Company’ of the US Army 101st Airbourne Division, who were actually trained near to Swindon.

“Some of the competitors have asked if we’re mad.

“There are no doors, sidescreens, no heater and it has three-speed gear box, it’s pretty primitive.

“We are funding all the entry fees, ferries, accommodation and running costs ourselves so every penny we raise will go directly to Help for Heroes.”

To donate visit www.

bmycharity.com/LaJeep.

Comments(3)

Blind Fury says...
2:23pm Mon 18 Jun 12

Yet again, the big-boys at HFH, using a WW2 theme to promote fundraising for their charity.
Does anyone out there actually know that all the money raised for HFH 'only' goes to those who served post 2001? Yes that's right, all our heroes from WW2, Burma and the Falklands do not see a penny.
Don't get me wrong, it's a great charity and does some fantastic fundraising. But would it hurt them (who have raised over £100M and making other deserved charities suffer) to allow pre 2001 veterans access to funds raised?
Seeing as they constantly use WW2 themes to raise funds, it is discraceful.

Report this post »

hevlar says...
6:18pm Mon 18 Jun 12

Thanks for the positive comment in support of the teams - at the end of the day they are taking these routes in high respect, and would you really send out a group of fundraisers on a rally around Afghanistan or Iraq in the current climate?
KEEP GOING TEAM LA JEEP!

Report this post »

Blind Fury says...
12:25pm Tue 19 Jun 12

hevlar wrote:
Thanks for the positive comment in support of the teams - at the end of the day they are taking these routes in high respect, and would you really send out a group of fundraisers on a rally around Afghanistan or Iraq in the current climate?
KEEP GOING TEAM LA JEEP!
Nowhere did I mention a rally around current warzones. But using a 101st Airborne route, is a big kick in the teeth to true war heroes, who won't see a penny of the fundraising. They should be ashamed to use more deserving charities' historic feats. Vive La Poppy Appeal!!

Report this post »

click2find

About cookies

We want you to enjoy your visit to our website. That's why we use cookies to enhance your experience. By staying on our website you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more about the cookies we use.

I agree