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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:
“In my 20 years of army service, I’ve never known a town or city whose people have such a close affinity with the corps of soldiers who are based here.”
Lt. Col Bishop, who is coming to the end of his two-and-a-half year posting in Ripon in the next month, added:
“I must admit, that when I saw the knitted figures of sappers on the bollards around the Market Square, I had tears of pride in my eyes and I could not have a better send off than being here today to unveil this incredible tank made of wool and wood.
“It’s a manifestation of the respect that the people of Ripon have for the Royal Engineers and in return the respect that we have for the citizens of this wonderful city.”
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
Community link
For a community proudly wrapped in rich military history, where the Royal Engineers have enjoyed Freedom of the City for 75 years, the countdown to the 80th anniversary, which marks the D-Day landings on five Normandy beaches, have a very special meaning.
On June 6 1944, one in four servicemen involved in Operation Overlord — the code name for the huge military operation that paved the way to the liberation of western Europe — were Royal Engineers, many of whom were trained in Ripon in readiness for their key role in clearing the way for troops who followed on behind them,
Among the weapons at their disposal was the Churchill Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE) tank which was used with terrifying effect to blast enemy bunkers with huge and uncompromising shells
The life-size replica, which is 24 feet long, nine feet wide and seven feet high, has been created through a collaboration between Ripon Community Poppy Project and the city’s Men’s Shed who worked together in a hangar provided by the Engineers at Claro Barracks.
The tank, is a striking and symbolic centrepiece that will be seen at selected locations around the city between now and June 6, when an anniversary concert will be held at Ripon Cathedral, before Jack Churchill the great-grandson of war-time leader Sir Winston Churchill lights a beacon on the cathedral’s piazza,
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,
“We hope that the tank and D–Day anniversary decorations, which have taken tens of thousands of stitches from our tireless team of non-stop knitters, will remind local residents and visitors of the crucial part that the Royal Engineers played in securing allied victory in World War Two.”
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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The countdown to Ripon’s D-Day commemoration and celebration events has begun and the unique life-size knitted tank created through a massive volunteer effort is ready to take up its central role.
Created through the collaborative input of Ripon Community Poppy Project and Ripon Men’s Shed, with back-up support from businesses and individuals across the community, the replica tank made of wood and wool, will be on the lawn at Ripon Inn on Tuesday (April 30) for the launch event.
Measuring 24 foot long, nine foot wide and seven foot high, it has been built in a hangar at Claro Barracks provided by 21 Engineer Regiment.
The replica tank will first go on display at The Ripon Inn and then move to other locations in the city
It is modelled on the Churchill AVRE bunker busting tank that was employed by Royal Engineers to clear the way for troops after they landed on the five Normandy beaches on June 6 1944, as part of Operation Overlord, which led to the liberation of Nazi-occupied Western Europe.
Stuart Martin of Ripon Community Poppy Project, told the Stray Ferret:
“The Royal Engineers who were awarded Freedom of the City of Ripon in 1949, in gratitude for the crucial role they played in the allied victory, can count the D-Day landings and what happened afterwards among their finest hours.
“This has been recognised across the Ripon community with volunteers collectively clocking up 100,000 hours of work since last year to ensure that we do them proud.”
The launch event starts at 11am on Tuesday and is open to members of the public. It will be attended by civic dignitaries, schoolchildren, volunteers and representatives of organisations and businesses that are playing a part in the D-Day 80th anniversary,
At the launch, there will be a display featuring the work of the trustees of the Ripon Military Heritage Trust, who are fighting to save priceless heritage buildings, bridges and other structures at the barracks site that are in danger of being bulldozed to make way for the 1,300-home Clotherholme development.
Events culminate on June 6, with the lighting of a beacon at 9.15pm on the piazza of Ripon Cathedral, by Jack Churchill, great-grandson of the legendary wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill.
D-Day 80th anniversary concert
Before the beacon is lit a concert will be held in the cathedral at 7pm. It will feature Ripon City Band, The Duchy Bells, The Dishforth Military Wives Choir and Charlotte Potter.
Proceeds will be shared between Ripon Community Poppy Project and Help the Heroes, the armed forces and veterans charity.
Tickets costing £15 are now on sale online from Eventbrite and from Ripon’s Stuff 4 Offices in Fishergate and the Wakeman’s Cafe on Market Place South.
Stuart Martin (centre) is pictured with his Ripon Community Poppy Project colleague Hazel Barker and Richard Thomson of Ripon Men’s Shed
The stunning centrepiece model Churchill AVRE tank, has been created, along with other display items by the non-stop knitters of Ripon Community Poppy Project.
Richard Thomson and Gordon Woods of Ripon’s Men’s Shed, built the wooden frame of the mighty model war machine from timber valued at £2,500 that was donated by the Ripon branch of MKM Building Supplies.
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Ripon volunteers prepare for D-Day anniversary with a military-style operation
With the clock ticking down to the 80th anniversary of D-Day, an army of Ripon volunteers has spent thousands of hours engaged in a military-style operation as the city prepares for the landmark celebration and commemoration.
On June 6 and in the weeks running up to it, the fruits of their collective labours over an estimated 100,000 hours, will be seen in one of the largest events to be held anywhere in the UK.
The stunning centrepiece, is a life-size model Churchill AVRE tank, recreated with hundreds of thousands of stitches from the non-stop knitters of Ripon Community Poppy Project, working in collaboration with Richard Thomson and Gordon Woods of Ripon’s Men’s Shed, who have built the wooden frame of the mighty model war machine.
It is 24 feet long, nine feet wide and seven feet high and timber valued at £2,500 was donated for its construction by MKM Building Supplies.
Stuart Martin (centre) and Hazel Barker of Ripon Community Poppy Project are pictured with Richard Thomson of Ripon Men’s Shed on board the replica tank before the turret was fitted.
Known for its bunker busting capabilities, the tank has been painstakingly recreated in wool and wood in a hangar at Claro Barracks, where space was made available by the 21 Engineer Regiment.
Richard, a former Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineer who spent part of his army career based at the barracks, said:
“This type of tank struck terror in the hearts of the enemy when it came into sight, because of the size of shell that it fired and the destruction that it brought to those unfortunate enough to get in its way.”
With transportation being provided free of charge by Ripon Farm Services, the giant replica will be moved to a number of locations in the city, starting with the Ripon Inn on April 30 and culminating on June 6, with placement on the piazza at Ripon Cathedral, where Jack Churchill, the great-grandson of wartime leader Sir Winston, will light an 80th anniversary D-Day beacon at 9.15 pm.
D-Day 80th anniversary concert
Before the beacon is lit a concert will be held in the cathedral at 7pm. It will feature Ripon City Band, The Duchy Bells, The Dishforth Military Wives Choir and Charlotte Potter.
Proceeds will be shared between Ripon Community Poppy Project and Help the Heroes, the armed forces and veterans charity.
Tickets costing £15 are now on sale online from Eventbrite and from Ripon’s Stuff 4 Offices in Fishergate and the Wakeman’s Cafe on Market Place South.
Alwyn Hartley of Ripon Community Poppy Project working on the huge D-Day 80th anniversary display
Ripon and the Royal Engineers
The anniversary of the D Day landings in Normandy that led to the liberation of Europe and, ultimately, the end of World War II, has special significance in Ripon thanks to a long and treasured association with the Royal Engineers, who have had Freedom of the City since 1949.
The Royal Engineers’ annual freedom march through Ripon has taken place since 1949.
The Royal Engineers provided the technical skill and engineering expertise that paved the way to allied victory.
The advance of troops from the beaches of northern France and across Europe was made possible by their construction, among other structures, of Bailey Bridges, using techniques perfected on the training grounds of Ripon barracks.
A Sherman Firefly tank on a Bailey Bridge constructed across the Santerno River river in Italy in April 1945. Picture Wikipedia
The Royal Engineers’ world-leading bomb disposal team in Ripon, which taught the Americans how to deal with unexploded ordnance in the wake of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbour in December 1941, also proved a fundamental factor in maintaining the military momentum.
Stuart Martin, co-founder with Hazel Barker of the Ripon Community Poppy Project, said:
“The city’s long and deep association with the Royal Engineers makes this year’s commemoration and celebration of D Day extra special.
“By coincidence, this year also sees the 75th anniversary of the Engineers being granted Freedom of the city and the 75th anniversary of 21 Engineer Regiment.”
A military-style operation
The former mayor added:
“In a military-style, meticulously-planned operation that started last year, the Community Poppy Project has asked for and received help from individuals, businesses and organisations across the city and all have given their time, materials, labour and logistical advice free of charge.
“They include Jennyruth Workshops, whose workers have cut materials to size for various displays, Calverts Carpets, which has provided imitation grass for display areas and Tates garden centre which is helping with logistics.
He added:
“It has been a magnificent community-wide project collectively involving almost 100,000 hours of volunteer input and has been made possible because of the generosity of the city’s organisations and businesses.”
Main image: The replica Churchill AVRE tank. Picture Ripon Community Poppy Project.
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Sappers plant commemorative sapling in Ripon’s Spa Park
Two young sappers were given the task of planting a commemorative sapling in Ripon’s Spa Park this week.
Next year marks the 75th anniversary of the award of Freedom of the City to the Royal Engineers, who provide military engineering support to the British Armed Forces and have had a base in Ripon for decades.
Ahead of the 2024 events to celebrate this military milestone, sappers Megan Smith and Scott Nield, both aged 23, planted the Zelkova serrata — a relative of the Elm, which is native of Japan.
The tree, provided by North Yorkshire Council parks department, can grow up to 17 metres tall, and was selected because it is a hardy variety with autumn leaves of vivid colours from red through to bronze.
Royal Engineers on last year’s Freedom March.
The sappers were joined by the Mayor and Mayoress of Ripon, Councillor Sid Hawke and his wife Linda, along with fellow Royal Engineers from Claro Barracks and members of the Ripon branch of the Royal Engineers Association
Lt Col Perry Bishop, commanding officer at the barracks, where members of 21 Engineer Regiment are stationed, told the Stray Ferret:
“In a few years, with the redevelopment of the barracks site for housing, we will end our long association with Ripon, where we have enjoyed Freedom of the City since 1949.
“The tree provides a living legacy and reminder of the Royal Engineers’ time here, both in peacetime and when the country was at war.”
Rousing military music resounded on city streets yesterday morning as Ripon’s Royal Engineers held their annual freedom march.
Members of the 21 Engineer Regiment based at Claro Barracks, who returned to the UK in September from postings in Cyprus and Poland, were joined by a band from the Royal Corps of Army Music, as 300 uniformed men and women marched past the town hall and down Kirkgate for a service held in their honour at the cathedral.
Eyes right as the Royal Engineers march past Ripon Town Hall and take the salute from city Mayor Councillor Sid Hawke and other civic dignitaries.
In line with tradition the Engineers, who were awarded the freedom of Ripon in 1949, exercised the rights bestowed on them 73 years ago, by marching in step to the sound of the band with drums beating and bayonets fixed.
The march down Kirkgate.
In addition to the six-month United Nations peacekeeping role in Cyprus that the Engineers took up in March and the detachment to Poland, Ripon-based sappers have served on operations in Northern Ireland, Kuwait, Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, providing light role close support that enables the army to live, move and fight.
The Royal Engineers attended a service at Ripon Cathedral
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Three soldiers in Ripon will take part in a 700-mile barefoot relay this weekend to raise money for a girl with a rare genetic disease.
The soldiers have been inspired by Major Chris Brannigan, who walked the distance barefoot solo in August this year.
He did so to raise funds for Hope for Hasti, a charity set up to develop a treatment for his daughter Hasti, who has Cornelia de Lange syndrome.
Major Brannigan raised £375,000 and since then others have boosted the total to £670,000 of the £1m target,
This weekend’s 700 miles, which will be completed in five-mile stages, will add to the tally.
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The three members of Ripon’s 21 Engineer Regiment stepping up to help are Sergeant Max McGoon, Corporal Lee Connolly and Private Matty Haigh, who will complete the 94th, 95th and 96th legs of the route on Sunday.
They will walk from Hessay, York to Langthorpe. Hasti’s favourite soft toy, Obama the llama, is being used as the baton by all those taking part.
Private Haigh explained why the soldiers wanted to support fellow soldier Major Brannigan.
“In January 2015 until August 2016 Major Brannigan was my boss in Catterick and Cyprus. He was a very supportive and family-orientated man.
“My fiancée Chloe and I are expecting a little girl at the end of this year. Major Brannigan has shown me that no matter what life throws at you, you always fight back and most importantly that you can do anything when it is for your children.
“I hope we can raise a massive amount of money for Hope for Hasti by doing the barefoot relay.”
To support the Ripon soldiers in their efforts, click here.
Dishforth Military Wives Choir members will take on the 98th leg of the relay.
Seven members of the Dishforth Military Wives Choir are also taking part. They will cover the 98th leg of the relay from Ripon Cathedral to North Stainley. The choir also supported Major Brannigan during his original march in August.
Choir member Sue Bell said:
“Chris said to us he would walk to the ends of the earth for his children and we thought five miles barefoot is nothing in comparison and the least we could do for all the children with rare diseases.”
To support the choir members, click here.
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Hope for Hasti
Major Brannigan and his wife Hengameh have been fundraising for over a year for their daughter, Hasti, who was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition, Cornelia de Lange Syndrome.
There is currently no treatment for the disease. The Hope For Hasti charity was set up this year to raise money to start the research and a clinical trial into a gene therapy treatment for CdLS.
Chris’ barefoot march raised £500,000 but their final goal is £2.5million to fund a treatment. It is hoped this relay will raise further vital funds for the charity.