Harrogate’s Stonefall Cemetery is holding free tours on Friday next week as part of a bid to encourage more visitors to British war graves.
With covid preventing people travelling to pay their respects to fallen soldiers in France and Belgium, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is highlighting alternatives in this country.
Stonefall is one of the largest war grave sites in northern England and one of only five directly maintained by the commission.
It therefore looks very similar to sites abroad, with rows of immaculately maintained white graves of even size.
Junior soldiers at Harrogate’s Army Foundation College, who usually travel to war graves in Normandy, recently visited Stonefall and the commission hopes the covid travel restrictions will encourage others to do likewise.
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Stonefall will be the focus of the final day of the commission’s first War Graves Week from May 21 to 28.
Tours limited to 10 people will take place throughout the day at the cemetery off Wetherby Road, which is open 24 hours a day to visitors.
Tours are free but places must be booked in advance.
Stonefall Cemetry
Elizabeth Smith, public engagement coordinator for the commission in the north-east, said:
“We are trying to draw people’s attention to the fact that we have a lot of war graves in this country,. People are aware of them abroad but less so here.
“Harrogate is a really special site for us.”
Stonefall’s Canadian connection
Stonefall has more than 1,000 graves, mostly of soldiers from the Second World War.
About two-thirds are Canadian, as its air force was based in North Yorkshire. But there are also also almost 100 Australian graves, five Caribbean graves and also the grave of the only Fijian who flew with the British Royal Air Force.
Stories of those who gave their lives will feature prominently in the tours.
A private closing ceremony for the week will take place at Stonefall on the 28th. It will be broadcast live on a Facebook as part of the commission’s digital festival.
Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, the mayor of Harrogate and the Lord-Lieutenant for North Yorkshire are expected to visit Stonefall that day.
