Harrogate mourner left ‘distressed’ by rubbish and overgrown grass at Stonefall Cemetery

A Harrogate mourner has said the current state of Harrogate’s Stonefall Cemetery is “disgraceful” and has called on the council to introduce more regular upkeep.

Trish Stephenson often goes to the cemetery to visit the grave of her cousin, who died last year.

She says the state of the cemetery is getting worse with overgrown grass in the garden of rest, dry patches and overflowing bins.

She said she has been visiting the cemetery for funerals for years but it is only in recent times she has found conditions getting worse. Her relatives have said the condition makes what should be a “peaceful time” distressing.

Ms Stephenson said:

“I’ve tried to speak to the council before but it doesn’t seem to change anything. The gardeners are cutting the grass every three to four weeks which is clearly not enough.

“It’s disgraceful. People go there to sit with their loved ones but the benches are covered in weeds and there’s litter on the floor. It’s not good enough.”

Areas of uneven and patchy grass at the graveyard

Harrogate Borough Council is responsible for maintenance at the cemetery, as it is for those across the district.

It said it was undertaking a programme to level out areas of its cemeteries that have risen over time and made it harder to cut the grass. A spokesperson said:

“Demand on our teams has understandably been high over the last two years but these works will now be prioritised. The team will visit Stonefall Cemetery in the coming weeks and address any concerns that have been raised.

“Some areas are being left to grow and not mown as we want to encourage biodiversity, attract pollinators and create habitats. We will of course continue to mow the grass along pathways and around gravestones so that mourners can pay their respects to their loved ones.”

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Last year the council came under fire for similar issues at Knaresborough Cemetery and Kirkby Road cemetery in Ripon.

Mourners in Ripon said unmown grass had grown to such a height it was difficult to find and visit graves, and there were overhanging trees and hedges completely obscuring rows of graves.

Jayne Jackson began volunteering at Knaresborough Cemetery after feeling the council wasn’t doing enough. She said grass was  left to grow uncontrollably and tree roots were causing graves to collapse.

WW2 nurse from Bilton who served in Dunkirk, Africa and Hiroshima

Sister Florrie Prest from Bilton saw remarkable service in the war, tending to injured service people across three continents.

Florrie served in the Territorial Army Nursing Service and was attached to Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service (QAIMNS).

Elizabeth Smith from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission shared her research on the nurse with the Stray Ferret. She is buried at Stonefall Cemetery,

Ms Smith found two historic newspaper reports about Florrie in the now-defunct Harrogate Herald.

According to a report from 1946, Florrie worked as a dressmaker in Harrogate in the years before the war. She then trained as a nurse in London and worked at Harlow Wood Orthopedic in Sutton-in-Ashfield.

When war broke out, Florrie served at Dunkirk, northern Africa, Japan and in the Atlantic and Icelandic waters.

The report says she was of modest disposition and refused to speak about her service but admitted to once saving a person’s life from a blazing building in Iceland.

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Her second mention in the Herald was her obituary a year later. She died in York Military Hospital aged just 46 on October 26, 1947.

Florrie had been assistant matron on the hospital ship Dorsetshire. She was also mentioned in dispatches for service in the Middle East.

Ms Smith suspects this was when she was on the Dorsetshire when it was attacked several times in the Mediterranean despite being a hospital ship.

In North Africa, Florrie was in charge of field dressing station.

A dear sister

Later she was matron on the hospital ship Principessa Giovanna that was seized from Italy by the Royal Navy in 1944.

Her last appointment had been in Hiroshima, Japan before she was flown home.

Her parents lived at Bachelor Gardens in Harrogate and died before her. The personal inscription on her headstone was written by her brother. It reads:

“I HAVE LOST A DEAR SISTER BUT HEAVEN HAS GAINED ONE OF THE BEST THE WORLD CONTAINED.”

Free Stonefall tours

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission runs free tours and events at Stonefall Cemetery throughout the year that give visitors fascinating insights into some of the graves.

The next tours will be during War Graves Week and will shortly be available to book via Commonwealth War Graves website.

Harrogate International Partnership is also organising an ANZAC Day service at Stonefall on Sunday April 24.

It is shaping up to be an interesting event with local dignitaries, representatives from the RNZAF and the RAAF, local cadets, a brass band and potentially a haka.