British soldiers have taken up the unusual challenge of sorting and packing 84,000 surplus helmets bound for the Ukrainian military.

       Thirty members of the Rutland-based 2nd Battalion of The Royal Anglian Regiment are in the second week of a push to pack up all the helmets before the weekend at Shropshire’s MoD Donnington logistics hub.

       Working from morning until night, the Cottesmore-based troops are toiling away in a huge warehouse, where the surplus kit has been sent to from other military stores around the UK.

       British military labels being removed from kit before its despatch to Poland (Jacob King/PA)

       (PA Wire)

       The task includes physically stripping the helmets of any British Army webbing or identifying badges and packing them in crates each holding 100 pieces of headgear.

       Recommended Ukraine war news : Nato left defeated and divided Why has Russia invaded Ukraine? The conflict simply explained Sign The Independent’s petition to help the people of Ukraine

       Sergeant Oliver Church, a platoon Sgt from the regiment’s A Company, who is co-ordinating the work at Donnington, said: “The lads are more than happy to help the cause.

       Members of the Rutland-based Royal Anglian Regiment are working at MoD Donnington in Shropshire (Jacob King/PA)

       (PA Wire)

       “Hopefully what we are doing will be going to help our military counterparts in Ukraine, providing them with the vital protection they really need at the moment.”

       During the operation, soldiers have processed up to 12,000 helmets a day, packing cardboard boxes ready for onward transport to Poland and then to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.