THE father of Royal Marine Dale Gostick is making a poignant cycle ride through France with 240 others as a tribute to his fallen son and other service personnel.

The cyclists are undertaking a 350-mile ride across France to raise funds for the military charity Help for Heroes.

John Gostick, himself a former Royal Marine, marked the first anniversary of his son’s death yesterday by laying a wreath in the sleepy Norman town of Ste Mere Eglise as the cyclists met Second World War veterans for a service.

Dale, 22, was killed after the armoured vehicle he was driving struck a land mine in southern Afghanistan on May 25 last year.

Mr Gostick, 58, from Great Haseley, near Thame, said: “Today is a poignant day. I am doing this to remember my son and the two lads who died with him.”

Mr Gostick, who served in Singapore, Malta and Northern Ireland, added: “I’m taking part in this cycle ride in honour of my son and all the servicemen and women who have lost their lives for their country.

“I just want to raise as much money as I can now and in the future.”

Standing together in the sunshine, the cyclists - including six servicemen injured in current conflicts - paused to listen to the words of Colonel Mark Horn, the USA’s military representative in Europe. He said: “We are commemorating heroes spanning the years.”

Ste Mere Eglise, which claims to have been the first town to have been liberated by allied forces following the D-Day landings, inspired the 1960s film, The Longest Day.

The cyclists, who started their 350-mile trek on Sunday, have been visiting some of the major Second World War battle sites to remember fallen soldiers while raising money to support today's servicemen.

Major Stacey McQueeney, 35, one of a team fielded by a defence medical rehabilitation centre near Epsom, Surrey, said: “There are two things that inspire us to continue.

“The first thing is history and the true British military sense of pride, commitment and professionalism.

“The second reason is the public support and understanding which inspires us to keep going and remain professional.”

Help for Heroes is hoping to raise £20m over the next year.

Donations can be made at justgiving.com/bandofbrothersbikeride2009

More than 300 people attended Marine Gostick’s funeral in Great Haseley.

The village church was packed, with more people listening outside via a loudspeaker system.

Marine Gostick — the 97th British soldier to be killed in Afghanistan — was buried with rifles fired over the grave and a bugler playing The Last Post.

tshepherd@oxfordmail.co.uk