Royal Marine and Officer Cadets round-the-clock yomp in memory of Myles

Officer Cadets at the spiritual home of the Naval officer corps helped Royal Marine Captain Martin Jones raise over £6k for charity inspired by a family tragedy.

The cadets of Drake 22-3 class joined their green beret tutor on a 24-hour yomp around the grounds of Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, all the time carrying a bergen rucksack filled with 25kg weight.

Last November, the Royal Marines’ son Myles was born prematurely and sadly died despite the efforts of medical staff in the neonatal intensive care unit aged just two days.

Myles’ memory and the Officer Cadets under Martin’s tutelage spurred him on to turn the tragedy into something positive: fundraising for the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death (SANDs) charity.

“The idea to complete this event came from the Division that I have been training for the past 23 weeks,” Martin said.

“Raising both money for the SANDs charity but also awareness surrounding baby loss is something that I believe we have achieved, and I am immensely proud of the entire team.”

Merely carrying the rucksack for 24-hours non-stop would be a challenge in itself. Add to the fact that the grounds of the fabled college are (a) extensive and (b) very hilly and the event took on extra dimensions.

Nevertheless the 23-strong team collectively covered 622½ miles while the weighted bergen travelled 70 miles and thanks to the undulating terrain, the marchers climbed and dropped down around 12,000 feet – more than three times the height of Snowdon.

“I could not have done this without the Officer Cadets of Drake 22-3 Division. They have demonstrated the resolve to march on through pain and adversity, the exact qualities required of our Naval leaders of the future.” With a smile, he added “Who is carrying the bergen back to the accommodation?”

Although the yomp smashed Martin’s original £3.5k target he’s still collecting for SANDs via https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/martin-jones108