Sometimes, the best way to show appreciation to someone or something is to remember them. A motorcycle once ridden by British paratroopers behind enemy lines during World War II has been commemorated with a brand new limited edition motorcycle.
The original bike in context is the lightweight RE/WD 125 “Flying Fleas” by Royal Enfield. The firm has now produced a bike to pay tribute to that, the Classic 500 Pegasus. The bike was unveiled with an aerial display from the Red Devils parachute team.
Ten paratroopers leapt from a C-47 Dakota above Imperial War Museum Duxford near Cambridge. Among those that attended the launch include Fred Glover, 92, who was 17 when he joined the 9th Parachute Battalion.
Glover was wounded in a glider landing in Normandy and was taken prisoner but escaped from a hospital. He then returned to the battalion and took part in the the Battle of the Bulge and the Rhine crossing.