Editor’s Pick of the Week: Remembrance heartbreak in Boroughbridge and your chance to buy Ripon’s knitted tank

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It’s Remembrance Sunday tomorrow, and nothing brought it home more this week than the photo of five young airmen enjoying a pint outside a Boroughbridge pub five days before they were all killed.

The contrast between their youthful smiling faces and the closeness of their fate is heartbreaking. Well done to the Black Bull Inn for honouring the men after the photo came to light.

The Stray Ferret’s office overlooks the war memorial in Harrogate, and we’ve had a bird’s eye view of the feverish activity taking place this week to prepare for Sunday’s parade and outdoor service. 

Paving has been blasted clean and leaves have been cleared. Just don't call it a cenotaph. An article by senior reporter John Grainger this weekend will explain why.

We’ve made our Remembrance Day coverage, including this listing of events, free-to-read.

Few places commemorate history better than Ripon, where our reporter Tim Flanagan will be watching the Royal Engineers march along Kirkgate on Sunday.

Ripon is once again swamped in poppies and even the life-size knitted tank is back. 

After Sunday, it will go into storage at Claro Barracks and Ripon Community Poppy Project, which created it, is “open to sensible offers from people who may have the space and facilities to showcase this life-size replica”. 

What a chance to own a unique outdoor feature and engage in a little one-upmanship with the neighbours.

Look for our coverage of local Remembrance Sunday events on Sunday afternoon.