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20
Apr
Urgent calls to renovate 'shabby' Harrogate plaque ahead of VE Day
A former secondary school headteacher is calling for a plaque in Harrogate commemorating D-Day to be renovated urgently, before the anniversary of VE Day next month.
Dennis Richards, who was head at St Aidan’s CE High School from 1989 to 2011, says the plaque, which lies at the base of a tree planted near Harrogate’s cenotaph to mark the 50th anniversary of the Normandy Landings on D-Day in 1994, is “in a shocking state”.
Mr Richards said:
The plaque’s location is fantastic, just metres away from the war memorial, but it just looks such a mess. It dishonours what occurred on D-Day. It can’t be interpreted any other way.
It looks shabby and uncared for, and I think most people would agree it needs cleaning up. But it’s up to powers greater than me.
D-Day was when Allied forces landed in northern France on June 6, 1944, in the largest amphibious operation the world has ever seen, starting the liberation of western Europe from Nazi forces.
Victory in Europe Day – more commonly known as VE Day – followed on May 8, 1945, and marked the end of the war in Europe and the victory of the Allies over Germany.
Mr Richards said:
The significance of the two events is straightforward. Without D-Day on the 6th June 1944, there would most likely have been no VE Day less than a year later.
I can think of no better way to mark VE Day on the 8th May than asking a senior Army representative to unveil a renovated plaque.
The plaque lies just metres away from Harrogate's war memorial.
One sticking point slowing down the process of getting the plaque refurbished is the fact that no-one seems sure who to ask about it.
Chris Aldred, charter mayor of Harrogate, said:
It would be nice if it were cleaned up and looking pristine, but the question is, who owns it, and who can do it? Harrogate Civic Society say it’s not one of theirs.
The biggest clue that might help things along is on the plaque itself. Its inscription says that it was unveiled by the Mayor of Harrogate, Cllr RM O’Neill. That suggests that it may have been laid by Harrogate Borough Council, which was abolished in 2023. That means that the plaque must now be owned by North Yorkshire Council.
Michael Newby, chair of Harrogate Civic Society, has written to North Yorkshire Council to ask if it can arrange for the plaque to be renovated. He said:
So far, I’ve had two ‘holding replies’, and one of them says that the matter has been referred to the council's property services team, and that it's been explained that it needs to be treated as a priority.
I think it’s very important that this gets done. If any plaques like this look scruffy, it looks as if the town just doesn’t care.
Mr Richards said the issue illustrated the need for a council based in Harrogate. The new Harrogate Town Council will be elected on May 1.
He said:
If this doesn’t get done, it will be an indication of just how Harrogate has missed out [since the abolition of Harrogate Borough Council in 2023]. If you’re based in Northallerton, this just isn’t going to look like a very urgent matter, is it?
Cllr Aldred agreed, saying:
This is another example of what a town council could actually do. If we had one, they could have done it already.
It would be nice if it happened, but we’re running out of time now.
The Stray Ferret has contacted North Yorkshire Council for comment.
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