Ex-soldier Mark Newton is in Burnham-On-Sea this week as he undertakes a mission to record the country’s war and lifeboat memorials.
The former Queens Dragoon Guard is making his journey on a disability scooter, pulling a tiny trailer, with his two cats for company.
Mark suffered a major knee injury while attached to the United Nations in Cyprus in 1991, and had to leave the Army in 2009 when walking became too painful.
His current Around Britain project, which started in 2013, has covered over 17,000 miles.
In that time he’s photographed thousands of memorials while collecting for Help for Heroes, the Royal British Legion, SSAFA and the RNLI.
“While in Burnham and Highbridge, I have been visiting the war memorials here and have found several very interesting memorials,” he told Burnham-On-Sea.com.
“I was very surprised, though, to find the old beach paddling pool has been removed because I understood it to be a war memorial.”
“I’m photographing and cataloguing thousands of lifeboat graves and memorials around the county and all the images will be on my website www.war-graves.co.uk and all the memorial images are being sent to the Imperial War Museum for the national archive.”
He funds his trips with his war pension and support from individuals and businesses. He will be collecting in Burnham-On-Sea’s Tesco store this Saturday.
He said: “I’m going to be in Somerset for quite a while, probably up to December, and I plan to come back to start next year’s travels in Dorset.”
Mark’s cats, black Missy and tabby and white Smudge, are proving a talking point on his road trip. He says: “They’re wonderful – I couldn’t leave them at home in Swansea.”
Visit his www.aroundbritain.org.uk website to follow his progress.
