THREE wounded soldiers from the Yorkshire-based Royal Dragoon Guards are planning to trek to the South Pole, a century after the ill-fated expedition led by Captain Scott and Captain Oates.

They will attempt a 140-mile unsupported trek to the geographic pole to raise funds for the charities Alzheimer’s UK and Walking With The Wounded.

On reaching the South Pole, they will bury a Walking With The Wounded Allied Challenge Trophy in the ice, mark the location via satellite link, and return to the UK.

The silver Asprey trophy was officially handed over to Captain Adam Crookshank and Corporal Robbie Harmer at the the Royal Dragoon Guards Museum in Tower Street. Captain Oates, who is reputed to have walked out into a snowstorm to give his comrades a better chance of survival, with the final words “I am just going outside and may be some time”, was a former member of the regiment.

The trophy will remain encased in the ice for a year until, next November, three teams – British, American and Commonwealth - will compete in the gruelling 180-mile Walking With The Wounded Allied Challenge- a managed race to the South Pole. The winning team will unearth the trophy and return victorious.