Ex-paratrooper amongst ongoing Ukraine war after birthday trip

Don Rawling flew into the eastern European country on February 19 to celebrate his 60th birthday.

Mr Rawling, who served with Colchester-based 3 Para in the Falklands War, had travelled to Ukraine because he wanted to “see history”.

Just five days later, Russia invaded eastern Ukraine.

He said: “I wasn’t going to go anywhere - it was a real spur of the moment thing.

“I wanted to go on an adventure, to see history unfold for myself.”

Amongst history - Don pictured in Kyiv on February 20

Mr Rawling had travelled up to Kharkiv, just on the border as the invasion happened.

He said: “I was in a hotel up there with the owner, his family, and their friends.

“We guarded the doors of the hotel, as we didn’t want any looters.

“They were bombarding the place on the outskirts, so I decided to come back to Kyiv, and in the afternoon left on the last train out. It was the evening that they invaded the city.”

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Mr Rawling, who lives in Burnham on Crouch, headed to the train station to go to Lviv.

He said: “The station was so busy, and eventually they made it women and children only, I was on the platform waiting when that order came in.

“The atmosphere was calm, but it changed in a nanosecond for the families that thought they were going to safety.”

Mr Rawling helped women, children and the elderly to get onto the train, using his body as a buffer to get them through the crowds.

Despite his military background, he did not take up arms, and now plans to do some humanitarian aid work in Lviv.

He said: “I never came here to fight, but when I saw what happened to Kharkiv, I was so tempted.

“I can go and help in a different way doing the humanitarian acts and I have also done my bit on the train stations.

“At the end of the day, you are just one person, but it is important to do whatever you can to help, and it is the small things that really do.”