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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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.”

A total of £10 million has been budgeted to cover items in a Section 106 agreement being drawn up by Homes England for the 1,300-home Clotherholme development at the Ripon Barracks site.

The money will fund a number of areas, including off-site highway adjustments and contributions towards primary and secondary education provision and primary healthcare.

In addition, under the legally-binding agreement, the government’s housing and regeneration agency, is required to put a strategy in place to “secure military heritage within the site”.

On Monday, Homes England project manager Martin Wilks and senior planning and enabling manager David Rowlinson, met with city councillors to provide a progress report on the major scheme, that will eventually increase  Ripon’s population by 20%.

In February, Harrogate Borough Council planning committee said it was minded to grant planning consent for the Clotherholme scheme and Mr Wilks, pointed out:

“The next stage on the planning process is to present the Section 106 agreement to North Yorkshire Council for approval.”

He added:

“The Section 106 monies have been set at £10 million to cover areas including off-site traffic interventions and contributions to education provision,”

The 21 Regiment of the Royal Engineers is scheduled to vacate the site by March 2026 and enabling works for the homes development will start in 2025.

In the meantime, Homes England is drawing up a sustainable drainage plan for the scheme with Yorkshire Water and working on a design guide for the development with Ripon Civic Society.

Meetings have been held with Ripon Military Heritage Trust regarding the protection and preservation of historically-important buildings and bridges on the site and a further meeting with them is planned for November 7.

Matters raised by councillors included the significance of the site’s rich military Heritage, increased traffic generation and the impact it will have on the city’s roads infrastructure and the additional strain that an increase in population will put on healthcare provision.

In view of the number of issues put forward, it was agreed that Mr Wilks and Mr Rowlinson will hold  further meetings with councillors to focus on specific concerns that they have in relation to the development.

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The name of Major Bill Rudd MBE, a much loved and highly respected Royal Engineer, will live on in Ripon following a dedication and remembrance service during the regiment’s Freedom Weekend.

Veterans, serving soldiers, friends and family gathered in Spa Gardens on Saturday afternoon for the unveiling of a bench installed in his honour.

The installation was made possible with support from the Ripon Commando and Airborne branches of the Royal Engineers Association.

Facing onto the city’s War Memorial, the bench is a fitting tribute to the retired major who died six years ago following a distinguished army career.

This included service with both the 9 Parachute Squadron and 59 Independent Commando Squadron of the Royal Engineers.

Former and serving men and women came from far and wide to attend the dedication and remembrance ceremony led by the Revd Stephen Wilson.

Prior to becoming a commissioned officer, Major Rudd served as the Regimental Sergeant Major of 38 Engineer Regiment based at Claro Barracks.

He maintained his connection with comrades through setting up the Yorkshire Branch of the Airborne Engineers Association with fellow Sappers Dave Edmonds and Charlie Dunk and was made a lifetime vice-president of the association.

Major Rudd lived across the road from Spa Gardens and was a regular visitor to the parkland area, where the Ripon War Memorial is the focal point for annual Remembrance services.

Royal Engineers’ veteran Jim Phillips. who was involved, with his wife Trudie in raising money for the installation of the bench, said:

“Whenever there is a service in Ripon, I am sure Bill’s bench will serve as a meeting place for old comrades to sit, laugh and remember our friend.

“Thanks to all who contributed to this memorial and very special event.”

Our main picture shows members of the Yorkshire Branch of the Airborne Engineers Association who were among those present for the dedication ceremony

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It was a day of tradition, ceremony and civic pride in Ripon, with the Royal Engineers’ freedom march and the installation at the cathedral of councillor Sid Hawke as city mayor.

Among those in attendance for both of yesterday’s events  was Major-General Eldon Millar who, as Defence Services Secretary, played a key role in the organisation and delivery of this month’s coronation celebrations for King Charles and Queen Camilla.

Involving more than 6,000 armed forces members, it was the UK’s largest military ceremonial operation in 70 years.

Major-General Eldon Millar, Defence Services Secretary, in Ripon yesterday

Although the freedom march was on a much smaller scale, hundreds of soldiers from 21 Engineer Regiment accompanied by the British Army Band from Catterick ensured a spectacular display as they marched to the beat of a drum with bayonets fixed.

The mayor and mayoress on their way to the cathedral with sergeant at mace David Coates and hornblower Allison Clark.

An organisation fighting to save forgotten but nationally important military heritage will hold its public launch in Ripon on Saturday.

Members of Ripon Military Heritage Trust (RMHT) will be on hand at Market Square from 10am to tell people about the campaign to protect and preserve structures and buildings currently threatened by demolition as part of a redevelopment of MoD property by the government agency Homes England.

The redevelopment area at Clotherholme is currently occupied by Claro and Deverell Barracks and the Laver Banks Training Ground.

Trust chairman Guy Wilson, former Master of the Royal Armouries (RA) who played a leading role the creation of the RA museum in Leeds, said:

“Ripon has a long and rich military heritage but its key role in helping secure the liberation of Europe in the Second World War and then maintain it has been largely forgotten.

“The redevelopment site at Clotherholme contains a number of unique and very rare military buildings and structures, worth preserving on their own account, but even more so when what was happening in and around them is understood.”

The relocation of the Royal School of Military Engineering to Ripon in 1940 meant the city played a huge part in training combat engineers.

It was here that the famous Bailey bridge, in its many varieties, was tested and perfected before seeing use in theatres of war across the world. So important was bridge building and the other engineering activities in Ripon that the US Army formed its own ‘American section’ to train its key engineers.

Early in the war British army bomb disposal training was centralised on the site and in the aftermath of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbour, a secret delegation of US Army personnel, led by Major Thomas Kane, came to the city to train.

On completing the course they were presented with Royal Engineer ‘Bomb Disposal’ patches and given the unique honour of being able to wear them on their US Army uniforms.

Kane returned to the Unites States where, with British help, he set up his own version of the Ripon School. He is regarded as the father of US Army Bomb Disposal.

Saving some of the remaining structures at Clotherholme that tell this story and its continuation into the Cold War is the RMHT’s first important task. But it has a wider remit and is dedicated to researching and preserving Ripon’s long and varied military heritage.

The trust aims to preserve a number of the surviving structures on a site at Laver Banks and develop a military heritage centre alongside countryside trails which will interpret the city’s unique military heritage.

Pictured above are members of the trust on the Heavy Girder Bridge at Laver Banks. From the left: Lt Col Bob Lisle (ret’d), Jane Furse, Stuart Martin MBE, Guy Wilson and Michael Furse. Picture: Ripon Military Heritage Trust.

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