On one of my previous articles someone asked if there was a way they could contribute their old army surplus gear to help the people in Ukraine. Well, if you are in the UK, now you can.
The Laguna’s Spitfire Legacy has started an appeal for anyone with old military equipment sitting around gathering dust in cupboards to send it them for shipping on to Ukraine. The LSL is a non-profit that was set up to raise awareness of the role played by Polish fighter pilots during the Second World War, especially with the RAF. But as it is run by veterans, well, they’ve been moved by the struggle of the people in Ukraine.
And as they told me, the soldiers and militia out there don’t just need weapons, they need kit. So, they are asking for donations of surplus military equipment.
Bergans, uniforms, body armour and plates, helmets, day sacks, boots, gortex waterproofs, warm clothing and base layers, gloves, socks, water bottles, mess tins, webbing etc. All the unglamorous stuff that makes being in the field basically possible.
Maybe you’ve got that old gear in the wardrobe, which, if you’re like me, was a good fit when you were out in the field, but now is probably, shall we say, a bit on the snug side. Maybe you’ve got other old stuff like IFAK kits, which, let’s be honest, is probably just cluttering up the place.
LSL say that they will take any available kit and process it. It will then be sent to the Polish/Ukrainian border and shipped directly to the frontline. They have the transport, people and contacts in place, they just need the kit to send to them.
Obviously, don’t send out stuff that basically is only fit for the bin, but I have another suggestion. Even if military surplus isn’t your thing or you weren’t in the services and have a loft full of old gear, if you want to send stuff you could purchase it and send to them.
Anyway, if you want to contribute, go to the contact section of the LSL webpage, shoot them a message with what you have, and they will tell you where to send it.
They are planning on sending out a shipment this Saturday, that’s the 5th of March, and they want to get as much on it as possible, so if you want to contribute, you need to get shifting. But I’m sure there will be other shipments that follow, especially if they get enough support.
And for non-UK viewers, I don’t have any details on similar operations in other countries, but if you know of any feel free to shoot me an email and let me know.
Related:
https://lagunasspitfirelegacy.org/contact/
Interview with Prof. Alaric Searle on the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
