12
Apr
Ceremony to honour fallen Australian and New Zealand WW2 veterans to be held in Harrogate
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An annual ceremony to honour the sacrifices of World War Two veterans from Australia and New Zealand will take place in Harrogate this month.
The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) Day ceremony will take place on Sunday, April 27, starting at 1pm.
The ceremony, which will take place at Stonefall Cemetery, will honour the casualties of those from the Royal Australian Air Force and the Royal New Zealand Air Force, some of whom are buried at the site.
The cemetery, on Wetherby Road, is one of the largest Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) sites in the north of England, with more than 1,000 commonwealth war graves. Most of these are airmen from bomber crews.
There are 97 Australian air force, and 23 New Zealand air force servicemen buried there.
Kate Spencer, chair of trustees for the ANZAC Remembrance CIO, said:
This year marks the first year that the service of remembrance will be under the governance of myself and a board of Trustees, whose purpose is to provide a ceremony each year on the Sunday closest to ANZAC Day which is remembered across the globe on April 25.
Poignantly, this year marks 80 years since the declaration on the 8th of May 1945 of the end of the war in Europe. We will honour and remember these very young men who gave their lives in the ultimate sacrifice.
Ms Spencer said she would be highlighting an individual in her speech – Alfred Churchill Lockyer, a young Kiwi who piloted the last Lancaster Bomber to be shot down by the Luftwaffe. He was buried at Stonefall and was the last from New Zealand to be laid to rest there.
CWGC Public Engagement Coordinator, Elizabeth Smith, said:
The CWGC cares for 170,000 war graves from both World Wars at more than 12,500 locations in the UK.
The Air Force plot at Stonefall Cemetery is unique in the North of England due to its size and resemblance to our sites overseas.
The ANZAC Day service offers the public a chance to give thanks to those who travelled from the far-flung countries of the world and now rest so far from home.
The ceremony will see representation from the Royal Australian Air Force, the New Zealand Royal Air Force, the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, the Royal Air Force, the U.S. Space Force, the Charter Mayor Harrogate, the Mayor of Withernsea, the Chief Constable of North Yorkshire and other local dignitaries.
The ceremony will take place in the war graves plot. People are invited to gather from 12:30pm. Parking is available in the cemetery car park off Forest Lane. For more information, click here.
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