Coventry man’s 123-pitch charity climb in memory of WWII airmen

A man climbing 123 peaks for charity said he was inspired to take on the challenge as a tribute to the three airmen who lost their lives in Coventry during the Second World War.

Graeme Mulvaney said he came across their story after spotting some Commonwealth war graves in the London cemetery.

“I often run there and sometimes I stop and read the names before I look up their stories,” he said.

The three were on a training exercise in 1940, flying over the city at night, when they hit a guide wire for a barrage balloon, suffering engine damage, he explained.

“They decided to stay with their plane and deliberately crash it into a cricket pitch rather than give up and risk the plane crashing in a densely populated residential area,” he said.

Sgt John Collingham, Airman Sydney Firth and Pilot Officer James Irvine were all killed.

“To make that split-second decision to sacrifice yourself and save other people, I thought that was a really profound thing and it affected me a lot,” Mr. Mulvaney said.

“And I just wanted to do something that would help me and give me an excuse to talk about them and share their story.”

He has now achieved over 100 summits in the UK and traveled to Morocco to climb Mount Toubkal.

“Traveling to Morocco with a medallion that I had inscribed with the names of the airmen was a highlight for me,” he said.

“I thought hiding it on top of a tall mountain would be a fitting tribute to their sacrifice and a way to thank them for encouraging me to become a better person,” he said.

“The sacrifice of these three people 84 years ago inspired me to change my life – maybe inspiration is all around us, we just have to open our eyes, listen and seize the opportunity.”

The money he raised from the challenge will be donated to the RAF Association.