OWs Deliver Life-Saving Medical Supplies to Ukraine

In December 2025, Neil Polley (Pn 75) and Christopher Hill (Pn 75) drove more than 3,000km across Europe to Lviv, Ukraine, delivering medical supplies and support vehicles to those working on the front line. 

Neil and Christopher volunteered with Driving Ukraine, a charity established in 2022 that has organised 54 convoys to date. The organisation provides vehicles, medical supplies and aid to volunteer medics and paramedics, as well as hospitals and humanitarian bomb disposal teams. 

Neil and Christopher share their experience:  

“Last Autumn I was ‘encouraged’ by fellow Pictonian and Sandhurst buddy Christopher Hill to join him on an overland trip to Lviv in western Ukraine, to deliver much needed vehicles and aid in support of Ukraine.  

Neil and Christopher’s ambulance loaded with medical supplies

After some intensive fundraising, during which we almost doubled our £5,000 target thanks to the incredible generosity of friends and contacts, around 20 volunteers gathered at an old US airbase at Heyford in Oxfordshire on the 10 December for an evening of socialising, briefing and marrying up with our vehicles. The group included people of all ages (I think I was the oldest!) and backgrounds, united by a common wish to help. 

Christopher and I were asked to drive an ex-NHS ambulance, a Mercedes Sprinter with 300,000 miles on the clock, and bum-numbingly hard seats! Our ambulance was filled with donated medical equipment, mostly time-expired or redundant in the UK but eagerly received in Ukraine. We were part of Convoy 52, an eight-vehicle volunteer aid convoy organised by Driving Ukraine. The experience was both sobering and life-affirming. 

Our journey to Lviv took 3 full days and took us in convoy some 3000km across Belgium, Holland, Germany, Poland and on into Ukraine. Day 1 took us from Heyford to Dortmund via Calais; day 2 on to Katowice in eastern Poland and day 3 to Lviv, past Colditz which was clearly visible from the autobahn. We spent long days on the road, typically 10 to 12 hours at a time. 

The convoy at the Ukrainian Border

Barring one mechanical hissy-fit (transmission problem) and aching drivers, the ambulance got us there in one piece. We handed over the vehicles to the Ukrainian team in a small and basic workshop in the backstreets of Lviv, where they were resprayed and fixed up before being sent on immediately to the front line. 

Although we did not travel beyond Lviv, the effects of war were apparent. We saw plenty of physical evidence: crumbling infrastructure and shabby buildings as resources are directed towards the military. At the same time, impressive new housing developments are being built to house debilitated soldiers and some of the people displaced from their homes in the east. Even the cobbled streets are being adapted to accommodate wheelchairs. At night, low lighting reduces energy use and limits visibility from the air. 

The effect on the people was particularly poignant. The ‘Field of Mars’ cemetery, opened in 2022, already holds more than 1,500 graves and is now full, so a new one has had to be commissioned. We saw many amputees, and there was a sense of quiet desperation everywhere. Churches were full, with services taking place around the clock. 

Vehicles ready for handover in Lviv

We were met with deep gratitude, not only for the tactical value of the vehicles we had brought, but for the time, support and hope we were giving. It was a powerful reminder of how lucky we are.  

It’s tempting to think that our small effort was a drop in an ocean, but we are proud to have helped, even if only a little. The knowledge that our efforts, supported by all our wonderfully generous donors, were deeply appreciated by the people we met makes it all so very rewarding and worthwhile.” 

To find out more about Driving Ukraine, visit https://drivingukraine.org/  

With thanks to Neil Polley (Pn 75) and Christopher Hill (Pn 75) for this article.