Army reservists from Hilsea saddle up for gruelling ride to honour soldiers killed during jungle 'death marches'

A team of 10 soldiers from 295 Battery, Royal Artillery, aim to cycle a whopping 1,600 miles between them in just 36 hours this weekend.

The static bike effort, staged at the battery HQ in Peronne Road, Hilsea, will be in memory of the men from 78th Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) Battery, 35 Regiment, Royal Artillery.

The Second World War unit, made up of territorial soldiers like those in 295, were captured by the Japanese after having flown out from their base in Gosport to Singapore in 1942.

The 400-strong battery was among almost 2,500 Allied prisoners of war from fallen Singapore to be transferred by the Japanese to Sandakan, in northern Borneo, to build an airfield.

Over the years, prisoners were forced to march hundreds of miles through the dense jungle only to arrive at camps with few provisions.

Many were beaten, starved, and left ravaged by disease. Of the 2,434 British and Australian soldiers who were either living at the camps or sent out on the death marches, only six survived.

Lance Bombardier Kevin Rimington, of Southsea, organised 295’s gruelling cycle ride, which will begin on Saturday and raise cash for two military charities.

The 52-year-old, who grew up in Sandakan, said: ‘Of the original 175 men on the first march only six managed to survive until the arrival of the next group. And then of the final march not a single man made it past 30 miles.

‘It was absolutely dreadful. People were being clubbed to death for being weak or ill. Some were hanged. That’s a brutality that we can’t quite comprehend today.’

A team from the Royal Artillery, which would have included LBdr Rimington, were due to fly out to Sandakan over the summer to honour the 75th anniversary of the tragedy. However, the coronavirus pandemic scuppered this plan.

Instead, a ride was organised as an alternative way of honouring the grim milestone – as well as raising cash for Royal Artillery Charitable Fund and the Burma Star Memorial Fund.

SEE ALSO: This is what being an army reservist with 295 Battery is like

Taking place in the middle of the battery’s annual two-week training exercise, the riders will have to complete 160 miles each, equivalent to the distance of the longest death march.

‘This was meant to be hard, it was meant to be something quiet gruelling and slightly unpleasant,’ added LBdr Rimington. ‘Quite a lot of people have worked really hard to get themselves fit for this.’

The team from 295 Battery are air defence specialists, similar to those in 78th LAA.

Major Colin McQuillan, 295’s commander, said: ‘The parallels between this new reserve battery and the tragic story of the 78th are numerous, to say the least.

‘It is a poignant reminder and a salutary lesson about how quickly we can be taken from our comfortable lives and placed in quite shocking situations.’

The battery hopes to raise £1,000. To donate, see justgiving.com/fundraising/295-hy-battery1.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

Thank you for reading this story. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on our advertisers and thus our revenues.

The News is more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism.

You can subscribe here for unlimited access to Portsmouth news and information online.

Every subscription helps us continue providing trusted, local journalism and campaign on your behalf for our city.