I helped to equip Ukraine fighters

A MAN from Henley has helped equip Ukrainian fighters trying to quell the Russian invasion.

Ben Hargreaves and his friend Dave Stewart completed a
66-hour round trip to the Ukraine/Poland border in two vans packed with military equipment for resistance men in Kyiv.

He said: “Within 24 hours of it being dropped off it was on its way to Kyiv and within 48 hours it was being used on the ground and making a difference. It was the right kit going to the right people at the right time, which was confirmed to us at the border. That made the return journey home 100 per cent easier.”

Mr Hargreaves, 42, of Harpsden Road, volunteered to make the trip after Mr Stewart, a former Royal Marine, appealed for help with transport.

He wouldn’t reveal exactly what equipment they had carried but said it had gone through all the relevant checks beforehand.

Mr Hargreaves said: “We left Henley on Saturday, March 12 and went to France via the Channel Tunnel and from there on to Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands before reaching Poland.

“We drove to the other side of Warsaw where we dropped off the military equipment with their equivalent of the Territorial Army. In all we did 38 hours of driving and the trip was relatively straightforward because it had all been well organised.

“The equipment we were carrying had all been counted and weighed in advance and we had all the right paperwork, so it was a pretty uneventful journey.

“The target was to get to Poland by the Saturday night. We stayed at a roadside motel and had a bit of food and a few hours’ sleep before doing the final leg to the other side of Warsaw, which took about five hours.

“Where we dropped off the equipment was about five hours from Lviv so we didn’t see what was happening in Ukraine and it appeared to be business as usual.”

Mr Hargreaves, who runs computer design company In8, was loaned a van for the trip by Julian Glasspole, of Shiplake, who runs Vehicle Weighing Solutions in Caversham.

He said: “It was quite surreal because if you drove to the Alps it would take 15 to 16 hours and we were doing more than double that in three days. We had great feedback from people along the way. We met taxi drivers using up their holiday to ferry people to the borders and others who were offering their spare rooms and so on.

“It was a humbling experience knowing that we were making a difference but it was also nice to come back and get some sleep.”

Mr Hargreaves kept the trip a secret until he had returned.

He said: “My friend is an ex-Royal Marine so I wanted to help but didn’t tell anybody about it until I got back. I wasn’t going to say anything but the response I’ve had from people who have wanted to do something but couldn’t and felt a bit helpless gave me a little bit more of a connection.”

Mr Hargreaves said he would be happy to do more trips but would prefer the war to be over soon. “Things are going in the right direction,” he said.

Mr Glasspole brought the van down from Chesterfield and had intended to go on the trip but tested positive for covid-19 the day before departure.

He said: “Ben didn’t flinch and said he was happy to do the whole journey on his own.

“In my opinion, he is a real hero, a pretty amazing chap.”

Henley town councillor Will Hamilton said: “Ben has always helped out with community initiatives. I have known him for the best part of 10 years through his company and the work that he does for the council and also the Henley Wombles initiative.

“He is a strong soul in the
community.”