Early birds caught sight of a charity walk with artillery up Monnow Street this morning (Tuesday) at 7,30am when a crew from Monmouth fire station escorted a 150mm Boer War gun on its way to Chepstow.

The Monmouth to Chepstow leg is part of a 330 mile John O‘Groats to Lands End charity field gun pull in support of the Military vs Cancer charity

A combined total of 1,300 serving military from the combined forces - Army, Navy and RAF - along with veterans and supporters are pulling the one-ton field gun and aiming to raise £150,000 to alleviate the effects of cancer for Military personnel and their families.

The fundraising event will involve a team of 29 military personnel per day, over 45 days pulling the gun to its final destination in Lands End!

15 men from the Monmouth fire service joined in to support them with a blue-light escort to the Wye Bridge and on to Chepstow.

Walking with the 15 man crew from the Monmouth branch was Fin Monahan OBE, chief fire officer of South Wales Fire and Rescue and also a patron of the charity who was going to start his day helping pull the gun, then was off to the Welsh Government in the afternoon..

The gun and its support crew have been passing through various towns and cities across the UK.

David Bathgate, a former Royal Navy submariner and now CEO of the charity, Military Vs Cancer, told the Beacon that the hardest part of the run so far was “every single hill.

“It didn’t matter how big they were. The weather wasn't so bad but did get caught in Storm Amy, we aim to get 13 miles a day, but the lads got 17 miles that day!”

The funds will be used for: Additional family / nursing care; Travel costs for treatment, including hotel stays for family members; Home adaptations; Respite breaks; Memory making trips; Special experiences, especially for those with a terminal diagnosis and Peer group / community support for serving forces members and their families.

You can show your support by clicking here