A TEAM of blind veterans featuring a petty officer from Bradford have made history by taking part in a competition normally reserved for fully-sighted military teams.

The group of three men, including 47 year-old Steve Birkin from Shipley, finished in the top third of the World Pace Stick Championships, the first year a civilian team has been allowed to enter.

The team also took part in a parade to celebrate the Queen's 90th birthday, leading a delegation of the Armed Forces down the Mall. 

The pace stick, which looks like a giant pair of compasses, dates back to the Royal Regiment of Artillery, whose personnel used a ‘gunner’s stick’ to measure the distance between guns in the field.

Competitive pace-sticking evolved from a drill used to measure the perfect pace when marching, involving keeping time and coordination to stay in a straight line.

The team were formed by the charity Blind Veterans UK, made up of three blind ex-servicemen, plus one sighted drum major who is still serving in the Coldstream Guards.

Mr Birkin, who served in the Navy from 1986 to 1998, including in the Gulf War, said the idea came about last November during a chat with fellow blind veterans.

“We were talking about what we missed from the military, and we actually said drills,” said Mr Birkin.

“Pace-sticking was an army drill, and being ex-Navy, I’d never done it before in my life. So, it was a double challenge for me.

“When we told the organisers we wanted to enter they thought it was a joke at first, but we just wanted a chance.

“Everyone came to watch us train, and people started saying we could give the other teams a run for their money.”

All teams in the competition had to reach a required standard, and the Blind Veterans qualified to join a field of 23 teams from armed forces all over the world at Sandhurst last month, including representatives from Bahrain and Jordan.

Mr Birkin lost his sight in July 2014 after being diagnosed with a rare virus that damaged his retinas.

“The specialists said they had never seen anything like it,” he said. “I was working for the NHS, but had to stop. It was a total life-changer.”

It was then he became involved with Blind Veterans UK, and he said the charity has improved his situation by “200 per cent”.

“It has taken over my life,” he said. “They have paid for me to go back to college, and I am now a trained reflexologist.

“They are an amazing charity, and if it wasn’t for them, I don’t know where I’d be.”

Mr Birkin is also a member of the Bradford Sea Cadets, where despite losing his sight, he still takes classes and is an active volunteer.

Referring to their in the Queen's parade, Mr Birkin said: “It was nerve-wracking, but an amazing high.

“I was told later that we were the only team she actually stood for and clapped. I felt immensely proud.

“The competition was great and it was brilliant to come where we did.

“We’ve already talked about next year, and we’re going to do everything we can to win.”