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Royal British Legion climbers head for Himalayas

A Royal British Legion climbing expedition to commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War will rely on Inmarsat to stay connected in the Himalayas.

The team of 12 wounded serving military personnel and veterans hopes to reach the 21,247 ft (6,476 m) summit of Mera Peak in Nepal on 11 November, Remembrance Day, where they will raise a Legion flag.

The climbers will be able to share the powerful image live thanks to a range of Inmarsat satellite equipment which they will use to update social media throughout the climb.

Challenging mission

Critically, reliable connectivity will also help them to stay safe as they battle physical and emotional injury to complete the challenging mission out of the reach of terrestrial communication networks.

Royal British Legion team members training for the expedition.
Expedition members learn how to use an IsatHub terminal.

As an expedition partner, Inmarsat is supplying 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 – giving them all the voice and data communications they could need.

None of those selected for The Royal British Legion and Leeds Beckett University expedition has previous experience of high altitude mountaineering, so they have undergone graduated training in the UK and in Nepal. All have been treated at the Legion’s Battle Back Centre, a leading centre for assisting in the recovery and improving the physical and mental wellbeing of former and serving military personnel.

Fantastic work

Expedition leader Dave Bunting said: “As we depart on Mission Himalaya 2018 I reflect back on months of detailed planning and team training and am incredibly excited about the adventure that lies ahead for our team.

“With the support of our expedition partner Inmarsat we have a superb communication capability that will not only support routine communications and safety cover, but will also offer us the opportunity to share this exciting expedition with the outside world and in doing so demonstrate the fantastic work The Royal British Legion carry out in support of their beneficiaries.”