THREE brothers who grew up in Glasbury-on-Wye and their 78-year-old father will be taking part in a 100km walk through the battlefields of The Somme and Flanders this October.
The idea to take part in the walk came from Chris Price, who now works as a security manager for the Bank of America in Chester. Chris took part in the Western Front ‘Frontline Walk’ last year and this year will be joined by his brothers Sean and Owain and their father Derek, who still lives in Glasbury.
This year’s Frontline Walk is the last of five centennial walks run by ABF The Soldiers Charity to raise funds for veterans and their families. The walk which takes place from October 3-7 starts at Lochnagar Crater, the location of the start of the Battle of the Somme, and finishes at the Menin Gate.
Chris, his father and his brothers will be part of a larger team named the “Rugby Relics” who are aiming to raise £17,000 for ABF. Chris, who is an ex-Royal Military Policeman, served for over 20 years in the British Army, engaging in combat operations in The Gulf, Iraq, Bosnia and Northern Ireland. He said he is keen to support ABF after suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).
Chris said: “I completed this walk last year, a truly humbling and very emotional experience and will again be competing this year with a larger team of ex-military veterans and family members.
“I am only too aware of the valuable work the ABF does to help servicemen who return home in many cases suffering the effects of battle for many years to come.”
Chris’s older brother Sean served with the Royal Welch Fusiliers in Northern Ireland and Germany.
Chris said poignancy has been added to the walk after he discovered the name of his great uncle Pte Thomes Travers is on the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing in Ypres while researching his family history. Thomas has no known grave and was killed at the battle of Polygon Wood in 1915. Anyone keen to sponsor Chris’s team can do so by visiting https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ChrisJPrice.