TWO former Royal Marines spent five days travelling around Devon to drum up support for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, and raise donations.

Clive Richards and Keith Christopher, former comrades, toured the county — including Tavistock, Yelverton and Okehampton — in a 42-year-old, soft-top LandRover to recruit men and women to join up to help Devon’s veterans.

And the trip proved a success with more than £1,000 raised and 12 new volunteers signed up to SSAFA.

Just over 200 years ago, if an army regiment was short of volunteers, recruiting parties were sent to towns and villages where they would bang on a drum to gain attention, then liberally distribute gin and the ‘King’s shilling’ to eager young men who were prepared to ‘join up’. 

Fast forward to the present day and this tactic was resurrected by SSAFA as the charity said it was in ‘desperate need of volunteers’. 

Retired Royal Marine Commando Clive Richards and retired Royal Marine Commando Keith Christopher (pictured right), both in their 60s, travelled the county between Tuesday, December 3 and Saturday, December 7.

Keith said: ‘Clive and I first served together when this LandRover was made back in the Jubilee year of 1977. It’s great to be back working together again.’

The intrepid pair reunited after 42 years through their work for SSAFA. They were self-sufficient during the tour — they lived on rations and slept in bivouacs — a temporary camp — whatever the weather.

The pair were in Yelverton car park on December 4; Tavistock Museum, Guildhall Car Park, December 5 and Okehampton Co-op supermarket car park on December 5.

They said: ‘We called in to the Royal Oak in Meavy in the early evening (on day two). The log fire and amazing welcome from our host Stephen Earp, a Falklands war veteran, were quite an attraction and we stayed for a beer and in doing so met some wonderful locals — one of whom has now volunteered to be a SSAFA caseworker.’

On day three they set off for Tavistock and Okehampton.

‘We set off for the war memorial in Tavistock. The feature of this visit was the amount of old comrades who turned up to wish us well; some we hadn’t seen for over 40 years.

‘The afternoon visit was to the Co-op in Okehampton, again, we were both floored by the warmth of the people we have met on this tour.

‘SSAFA has left a legacy of understanding in many parts of Devon over the past five days and Devon has left us elated with our reception and heartened by the warmth with which we were greeted everywhere.’

Clive added: ‘Thank you everyone. We raised over £1,300 and incurred no costs apart from fuel.

‘We also attracted 12 new volunteers to help Devon’s military veterans in need. We also had a blast.’

SSAFA — the Armed Forces charity, formerly known as Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association — is a UK charity that provides lifelong support to serving men and women and veterans from the British Armed Forces and their families or dependents.

For more information, or to donate, visit JustGiving.com and search for Clive Richards.