Veteran’s tour of British war memorials on his mobility scooter brings him to Yeovilton

A record breaking Army Veteran visited the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) Memorial Church on a quest to visit every war memorial on a mobility scooter.

Mark Lowman (49), a former Tank Commander already holds the record for the most miles travelled on a mobility scooter (12,186 miles in 596 days) embarked on his latest record breaking challenge 1257 days ago to pay tribute to fallen troops by visiting and photographing every war memorial in Britain.

The Imperial War Museum initially sent Mark a list of Memorials by county to get him underway.

Mark said: “I have a passion for this and have already found over 2000 unknown, unmarked graves that the Imperial War Museum did not know about. I also correct their data such as accurate locations.

"There are roughly 70,000 on the books so far that we know of and still more we have yet to find. It will take very many years not least as my scooter does 8 miles an hour; I may have to hand over the legacy”

Mark visited St Bartholomew’s Church, one of the oldest of military churches having its roots in Saxon times and is home to the FAA Roll of Honour listing the 6,750 men and women who have died whilst serving in, or with the Royal Naval Air Service and the FAA.

Mark was on a UN mission with the 1st The Queens Dragoon Guards in Cyprus when he injured his knee in 1991 and, despite several operations, he had to take redundancy in 2010.

With over £66,000 raised for military charities so far including Royal British Legion, SSAFA and Help for Heroes, Mark funds his trips with the money from his war pension and the generosity of the British public and business.

The scooter pulls along a trailer in which he sleeps along with his two cats, Missile and Smudge who Mark says “cope brilliantly with life on the road!"

Mr Newton is using a Beamer Tramper class three mobility scooter, which has been modified by adding mudguards, a bar for holding lights and his camera.