Don’t get too excited, it’s two rides in a Sherman that are being raffled at the Bunker Bash over the 19-20 May 2012 weekend, not the Sherman itself! Runners-up will get to ride in a half-track, and it is all courtesy of the First Allied Airborne Association (FAAA), one of the many living-history groups deploying at the Essex event.

During Bunker Bash, the FAAA will be putting all its film and event experience to good during four combat displays based on Operation Cobra and the breakout from Normandy. Since the action will take place in the close confines of a wooded area and not on a flat field, and will involve a Sherman, a half-track and a bevy of soft-skins ­– plus pyrotechnics of course – the public is sure of an exciting, noisy and very close-quarters battle experience.

While the main aim is to put on a good show for the visiting public, the FAAA will also be promoting the Army Nurse Normandy Memorial Project, which it and its Army Nurses sub-group have been working on for over a year and which will culminate on 8 June 2012 with the unveiling of a memorial in Normandy.

All proceeds from the ‘ride a Sherman’ raffle will be going to the memorial project, so even if you aren’t lucky enough to win, you’ll be contributing to a good cause.