HUNDREDS of bikers rode 30 miles from Mervillle Barracks in Colchester to a living war memorial near Chelmsford to raise money for the Army Benevolent Fund on Saturday.
The 600-strong group of motorcyclists, some ex-military personnel, made the journey in memory of Lee Rigby, the Royal Fusilier murdered in Woolwich on May 22, and all other soldiers killed in the last year.
Andy McGowan, secretary of the East Anglia D-Day Memorial Riders, said: "Those guys that have come back from fighting with mental health problems or disabilities are going to need help for the rest of their lives.
"There is support from Help for Heroes but when the conflict in Afghanistan is over these servicemen won't have gone away, they'll still need a lot of care."
The riders that set out every year to commemorate those service personnel killed between D-Day anniversaries has grown from an initial 70 bikes four years ago to their current number of 600.
At the event there was The Royal British Legion Band and Corps of Drums Romford and a 25lb Royal Artillery field gun marked the start and end of a two-minute silence by firing a shell.
The names of 11 other soldiers killed since the group's D-Day memorial run last year were read out, along with Drummer Lee Rigby and a special memorial plaque was installed.
Through collections and a Justgiving page the event raised over £4,000 for the Army Benevolent Fund.
The 'Living Memorial' at Whitehouse Farm in Rettendon was set up by farmer Pete Theobald and his wife Frances.
On the land they have planted 700 trees and plaques naming the war dead as far back as World War Two, and the couple have spent over £50,000 of their own money on the 11-acre shrine.
Frances Theobald, 57, told the Chronicle: "This is our small way of saying thank you to all those brave soldiers in Afghanistan, Iraq and all the previous wars.
"It's a living memorial because we plant trees and there's lots of wildlife nearby so people can just come and reflect and pay their respects.
"There's quite an air about the place when they play the last post and read out the names – it can get very emotional."
The names of every military person killed since the Second World War are named on plaques, including the Korean War, Northern Ireland, Malaya, Borneo, Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan.
East Anglia D-Day Memorial Riders are always looking for more participants for their next trip which will be next year on June 14.
For more details visit www.the-dday-memorial-ride.co.uk.
