A PAIR of intrepid coppers will be pounding a different beat when they strap on their boots for a 137-mile trek through dense rainforest.
In less than two weeks Inspector Dave Burgum, 47, of Hillingdon Police Station and his colleague, Sergeant Tim Love, are off to Sumatra for a month-long expedition.
They will follow the route of the infamous Sumatran Death Railway to raise awareness of the suffering endured by allied prisoners, many of whom lost their lives while building the track linking Pakanbaru to Padang during the Second World War.
Dave Burgum is a member of the war veterans support group, the Burma Star, for which he has already raised £75,000.
He said: "As a child, all I heard about was this war in Europe and very little about the Far East.
"Tim and I have spent numerous hours researching Burma and the Sumatra Railway. Our aim is to raise public awareness about the its existence and to tell the builders' story by mapping the route of the railway as far as possible using a compass, pen and satellite phone."
The duo have employed a local guide for their epic journey, as they risk bandit attacks, Sumatran tigers, snake bites, disease, infection and running short of water.
But Dave is no stranger to adventure his previous expeditions have included canoeing 621 miles down the River Ganges in India and a 500-mile cycle ride from Bangladesh to Darjeeling to raise £8,000 for a new library in Bangladesh.
"Because of the length of the journey we won't be able to carry enough bottled water to last the whole way so we are using the very best filters so we can collect water from the river which follows the route," he said.
"Many of the prisoners who worked and died on the railway were moved from Java to Sumatra. The survival rate was only 20 per cent."
On their return Dave and Tim hope to organise a presentation for the Burmese and Sumatran war veterans, showing a video and photographic record of their trip.
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