Doncaster's Ben Parkinson completes gruelling Norway trek to honour WW2 heroes

Former paratrooper Ben, the most severely injured soldier to survive the war in Afghanistan, retraced the footsteps of the Heroes of Telemark, a group of soldiers who carried out one of the most audacious sabotage operations of WW2.

He took part in a similar adventure in 2013 and the event, organised by the Curtis Palmer Program, saw a group of miltary veterans pulling him on a special sled across the frozen wastelands.

On the evening of 27 February 1943, Norwegian fighters destroyed heavy water (deuterium) production facilities at a hydrogen plant and becoming known as The Heroes of Telemark after their mission prevented Hitler gaining the atomic bomb.

To honour the soldiers, a group, made up of police, military veterans and members of the endurance group “Gone Tabbing” assisted Ben across the remote Hardangervidda plateau, living in snow holes they dug themselves, tents they carried and in the original saboteurs huts as they skied the route.

A spokesperson for Curtis Palmer said: “We are so proud of all the service users on this expedition. Be in no doubt they have pushed themselves to their physical and mental limit and beyond.

“Only one double amputee in the world has crossed the Hardangervidda and that is our military ambassador Ben Parkinson MBE but he would not have been able to do it without the team around him.”

Ben, 40, had to have both his legs amputated and he also broke his back and suffered lasting brain damage when the Land Rover he was travelling in struck a landmine in 2006.

He defied doctors’ expectations by learning to walk and talk again and regularly raises money for veterans’ charities with his case forcing the Ministry of Defence to significantly increase compensation payouts to wounded British soldiers.

In June 2012, he successfully carried the Olympic flame through Doncaster and was cheered on by thousands of wellwishers as he walked on prosthetic legs.

A patron for the veterans’ charity Pilgrim Bandits, he has undertaken a number of expeditions including parachute jumps, cycle rides, kayaking and arctic treks to raise funds and in 2013 he was appointed an MBE by the then Prince Charles in recognition of his charity work.