Two WWII veterans, Ted Pieri and Fred Glover (both aged 90), are undertaking a pair of tandem skydives to raise funds for the Taxi Charity.
Their first jump will be into the Merville Battery in France on Saturday 20 August 2016; their second will be with the Red Devils in Salisbury on Thursday 25 August 2016.
Both tandem jumps are to raise funds for next year’s Taxi Charity D-Day trip to Normandy.
For the second jump with the Red Devils, Ted and Fred will be joined by Taxi Charity committee members Frances Luczyc Wyhowska and Graham Pike.
Ted, who lives in Erith, Kent, joined the 1st Airborne division in 1943. Although initially a despatch rider, he volunteered for parachute training and qualified getting his wings. He did his first parachute jump in 70 years in 2015, and enjoyed the experience so much that he’s willing to jump again to raise money for the charity.
Fred Glover was a member of 6th Airborne ‘A Company’ who were tasked with landing within the infamous Merville Gun Battery in 1944. This will be Fred’s first parachute jump since his time in Normandy.
Frances and Graham have decided to join the veterans to raise money for next year’s Taxi Charity D-Day trip to Normandy.
Frances says: “This is a big project for the charity. We are aiming to take up to 150 veterans and 80+ black cabs to Normandy for four nights. It is also a personal challenge as I suffer from vertigo. However to have the opportunity of doing a dive such as this with the Red Devils, who are the absolute cream of the crop, is something that it would be foolish to turn down!”
You can donate via our fundraising page: