These four men are taking part in the Frontline charity walk, in which 100 people walk 100km across the battlefields of Normandy

Walking 100km in three days will be tough, but these Newark men will have their comrades by their sides.

Robert Macrae-Clifton, chairman of the Royal Air Force Association (RAFA) Newark branch, with his son-in-law Wesley Smith, and their friends Robert Mitchinson and Andy Price, have set off on the Frontline Walk.

This is a charity walk in which 100 people walk 100km across the battlefields of Normandy to raise money for ABF The Soldiers’ Charity.

It is a cause close to the men’s hearts, as not only is Mr Macrae-Clifton an ex-RAF serviceman, but Mr Mitchinson’s son Darren, a Royal Marine, was killed in Afghanistan in 2009 and Mr Smith’s grandfather served with the Royal Engineers.

The walk will see the men embark on a walk that will pass the infamous beaches of Normandy, including Utah, Omaha and Sword Beaches, before finishing at Pegasus Bridge.

Mr Macrae-Clifton said: “This will be tough and also very poignant.

“Some of the people doing this with us will be visiting the graves of their fathers or grandfathers.

“It will be hard not to feel emotional.”

The team have been doing a few long walks in the local area to prepare for this challenge, but Mr Clifton-Macrae said it had been hard to fit training in around family life:

“We have got families to raise and we work, so to do 20 miles of walking takes a whole day.”

The team are due back in the country early next week.