A climbing expedition led by the Royal British Legion and Leeds Beckett University, has successfully reached the 21,247 ft (6,476 m) summit of Mera Peak in Nepal on 11 November, to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War.
Throughout the challenging journey, the Mission Himalaya team of 13 serving military wounded, injured and sick (WIS) personnel and veterans has relied on Inmarsat’s connectivity to post their progress on social media, blog and share personal video messages of what the expedition means to them.
In addition, our reliable voice and broadband satellite communications has provided vital safety communications for the two-week climb, which has seen the team battle remote and inhospitable environments including freezing temperatures.
Mission Himalaya Flag on Mera Peak in Nepal
BGAN in use during Mission Himalaya
The Mission Himalaya team was made up entirely of novice mountaineers who had all received support from the Royal British Legion Battle Back Centre – a centre of excellence for the physical and mental rehabilitation of serving WIS and veteran personnel.
Dave Bunting, Expedition Leader said: “Aiming to get a group of serving and veteran soldiers, who are also novice mountaineers, on top of a Himalayan Peak on the Centenary of the end of WW1 brought with it a variety of challenges, but witnessing it first hand in this inspirational environment made it all worthwhile.”
Chris Joynson, Operations Manager at the Battle Back Centre, and Expedition Leader for The Royal British Legion said: “The summiting of Mera Peak is the culmination of 18 months planning between the Royal British Legion and Leeds Beckett University. That it occurred on Remembrance Sunday could not have been more significant.”
Inmarsat supplied the Mission Himalaya 2018 expedition with two IsatPhone 2 satellite phones, a compact Explorer 510 BGAN terminal and iSavi IsatHub terminal for the team to use with their own smart devices.
