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30
Apr
Lt Col. Perry Bishop, the commanding officer of the Ripon-based 21 Engineer Regiment of the Royal Engineers, admitted to having an emotional moment when he saw knitted soldiers adorning the bollards in Ripon city centre.
He told a large crowd of civic dignitaries, volunteers, schoolchildren and members of the public, who gattered this morning on the lawns of Ripon Inn for the launch of the city's D-Day 80th anniversary commemoration and celebration events:
Lt. Col Bishop, who is coming to the end of his two-and-a-half year posting in Ripon in the next month, added:
The Mayor and Mayoress of Ripon, Councillor Sid Hawke and his wife Linda, along with the Dean of Ripon, the Very Revd John Dobson, were among those present for this morning's launch
Today's unveiling of the replica Churchill bunker buster tank signalled the start of D-Day anniversary events in the city
The badge of the Royal Engineers has been faithfully reproduced in wool by the knitters of Ripon Community Project
Five of the people involved in creating the replica tank are pictured here, from the left: Carol Dunkley, Hazel Barker, Stuart Martin (Ripon Community Poppy Project) and Richard Thomson and Gordon Woods of Ripon Men's Shed,
Hazel Barker, who was joint-founder of the poppy project with former mayor of Ripon Stuart Martin, told the Stray Ferret,
Pictured above are some of the knitted servicemen that brought tears to the eyes of Lt Col Bishop, while a silhouette of a lone soldier can be seen below with other displays in Spa Gardens.
The D-Day heroes are remembered in this display (below) on railings in Ripon city centre
Main image: Lt Col Perry Bishop (pictured left) with Hazel Barker and Stuart Martin of Ripon Community Poppy Project
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