SOLDIERS are planning to pull a 13-tonne truck from Abingdon to Didcot in memory of a colleague who died trying to defuse a bomb in Afghanistan.

Warrant Officer Class Two Gary O’Donnell, 40, died while trying to defuse the Taliban device alone, and without body armour, in Musa Qala, Helmand Province, in September last year.

Last month the father-of-four, of the 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Regiment, based at Vauxhall Barracks, Didcot, became the first serviceman in 28 years to be awarded the George Medal for the second time, with a posthumous bar.

The medal was awarded for extreme bravery, in recognition of his work in making similar devices safe in southern Iraq in 2006.

On Thursady, 16 fellow soldiers from 11 EOD Regiment, of the Royal Logistic Corps, will pull the truck about eight miles from Dalton Barracks in Abingdon to Vauxhall Barracks. They will shake buckets along the route of The Longest Pull, and hope to raise about £2,000 for the warrant officer’s wife Toni and children Cayleigh, Dylan, Aiden and Ben.

After the event, a building at Vauxhall Barracks will be renamed in his honour.

Captain Rosie Henderson, Adjutant for the EOD Regiment, said: “Following the initial horror of losing another soldier some people can forget.

“But this is not going to go away for the people who were close to Gary.

“It is going to be pretty exhausting, but we wanted to honour Gary and help out his family at the same time.

She said WO2 O’Donnell’s widow and her family were planning to attend the event.

Posters about the truck pull have been put up across Abingdon and Didcot.

Shoppers have also been handed flyers to encourage them to line the route and cheer on the team.

The truck will make a lap of Didcot town centre in recognition of the regiment having the freedom of the town.

There will also be a time trial race around Abingdon airfield between 9am and 1pm.

Members of the EOD Regiment will compete in pulling the truck against rival teams from the Royal Engineers and Didcot Fire Service.