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Joe and Oliver Burns to stop at Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel-Le-Ferne on epic bike ride from Birkenhead to Etaples, France

The son and grandson of one of ‘the Few’ will be stopping off at Capel Le Ferne's Battle of Britain Memorial as part of a charity cycle.

Joe and Oliver Burns, son and grandson of Battle of Britain veteran Flt Lt Owen Valentine Burns, will be taking to their saddles on an epic challenge that finishes at Etaples Military Cemetery in northern France on Tuesday, May 1, where they will commemorate the death of Joe’s grandfather 100 years ago.

When they arrive at the memorial, between Dover and Folkestone, they will pay their respects to the late Flt Lt Burns, who died in 2015.

Flt Lt Owen Burns meets Prince Charles (1645283)
Flt Lt Owen Burns meets Prince Charles (1645283)

The marathon ride from Birkenhead will mark the death of Sgt Owen Valentine Burns (senior) on 1 May 1918 after he was injured in action towards the end of the First World War.

The two cyclists will visit the National Memorial to the Few the previous day (30 April), and will be joined there for the rest of the journey by Flt Lt Burns’ widow Deborah, now one of the charity’s trustees.

Flt Lt Burns, a keen supporter of the work of the Trust, died on 30 June 2015, just weeks after being presented to Her Majesty The Queen at the opening of The Wing.

Sgt Owen Valentine Burns (1645285)
Sgt Owen Valentine Burns (1645285)

Son Joe and grandson Oliver will be undertaking their 418-mile journey to Etaples between Friday 27 April and Tuesday, May 1, covering an average of 100 miles each day. They will be accompanied in the support vehicle by Graham Bell, a son-in-law of Owen.

Their ride will start at the Hamilton Square war memorial in Birkenhead, where Sgt Burns is remembered, and take in his regimental museum, the Cheshire Regiment Museum in Chester, en route to the Battle of Britain Memorial and Etaples.

The sponsored ride will raise money for the Alzheimers Society, the Dementia Cafe Louth, the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust and other Rotary Club of Louth charities.

The father and son team will stop at the Memorial at midday on Monday, April 30, before boarding the ferry to France and the end of their fund-raising journey.

Supporters can support the event by donating at justgiving.com/Anthony-Burns7.battleofbritainmemorial.org

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