THE Rotary Club of Harlow Tye has donated £100 to the Bricklayers Arms Troop, the 15-strong group of pubgoers who are to retrace the historic 75-mile route of Operation Market Garden 70 years ago.

Group leader Gary Middlehurst received the cheque from club president Mike Lichtig and membership committee chairman and past president Richard Morgan when he spoke about the fundraising effort at last night’s club meeting.

Rotarian Paul Moulds took along wartime paperwork and other memorabilia which belonged to his father-in-law Leslie Reid, an Arnhem veteran who served with the 49th West Riding Infantry (The Polar Bears).

Mr Middlehurst said: “I would like to thank the Rotary club for their warm welcome, hospitality and the generous donation which is very much appreciated by everyone involved in Operation Market Garden 2014.”

Mr Middlehurst told members about how the idea of the trek came about – when he decided to do something for charity to mark his 50th birthday.

He mentioned it in the Bricklayers’ Arms pub in Stondon Massey and it was not long before his idea won the support of other drinkers and the mammoth fundraising event to raise money for the Parachute Regiment Charity and Help For Heroes was born.
The group will set out from the pub on Monday, September 15, to recreate Operation Market Garden – one of the most famous battles of the Second World War, the Battle of Arnhem, which was immortalised in the film ‘A Bridge Too Far’.

On September 17, 1944, Operation Market Garden – the plan devised by Montgomery to end the war by Christmas – commenced with 35,000 US, Polish and British paratroopers flown 63 miles behind German lines in an attempt to capture the bridges between Lommel in Belgium and the town of Arnhem in Holland.
They will cross each of the nine bridges during their five-day route march.

The Bricklayers Arms Troop are being boosted by numerous donations, and a special OMG beer brewed by Brentwood Brewing Company which is making a donation for every barrel, pint and bottle sold.

For details about how to sponsor the Bricklayers’ Arms Troop, email Gary Middlehurst at [email protected] or ring him on 07795 545843.
You can donate at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/OMG2014