The Harrogate district’s historical buildings, churches and graveyards will open to the public for free again in September as part of a national scheme to encourage people to explore history on their doorstep.
Heritage Open Days, which is billed as England’s largest festival of history and culture, will run from September 10 to 19.
Harrogate Civic Society and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which maintains Stonefall cemetery, are among those leading the initiative locally.
The civic society has arranged for numerous churches and other landmarks to open for free guided tours. The Gothic revival chapel at Rudding Park, built in 1874, will be included for the first time.
Another new feature this year will be walking tours around places such as Valley Drive and the civic centre. The civic society has organised these in case covid restrictions are in place.
Free guided tours of the Commonwealth War Graves at Stonefall cemetery will also be available.
The civic society will release the full Heritage Open Days programme in the weeks ahead.
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The Harrogate man who has visited a Canadian airman’s grave for 74 years
For the past 74 years, a Harrogate man has looked after the grave of Canadian airman at Stonefall Cemetery
John Charlesworth’s grandmother signed up for a Royal British Legion adoption scheme after the Second World War whereby local families agreed to lay wreaths on the graves of the fallen from across the Commonwealth. John was just four years old at the time.
His grandmother was allocated the grave of Flight Sergeant Maurice Durling, who was killed aged 22 in an air crash on his return from a bombing raid. He is buried alongside four Canadian comrades who died in the same crash.
More than half of Stonefall’s 1,000 graves are Canadian and the majority were airmen.
John visits the grave at least once a month and places his hand to say “hello”.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which maintains the cemetery, believes John’s grandmother was one of 700 Harrogate residents who took part in the scheme but after so much time the details are hazy.
The family visited Flt Sgt Durling’s grave every month and, as a child, John would lay his hand on top of the headstone to let him know he was there. Almost three-quarters of a century later, he still does the same thing when he arrives.
Flight Sergeant Maurice Durling’s grave
Sgt Durling’s mother would send money each year for John and his family to lay flowers on her son’s grave.
He continues to visit the grave after all this time to continue the tradition his grandmother started all those years ago.
John doesn’t have any children and his family live far away so he will be the last of his family to attend the grave. He says he feels a sense of duty to keep alive the memory of those who served and hopes more people visit Stonefall.
“I wouldn’t want to think I had relatives buried thousands of miles away and no one visited them. It’s important for me to be here.
“I do feel very strongly that the graves are visited even if you haven’t adopted one, just to walk up and down them and look at their names and ages.
“Now I realise the sacrifices they made and how high the death rate was I feel even more strongly.”
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A Cross of Sacrifice at Stonefall was unveiled on July 8, 1951 once all the headstones were in place.
To commemorate the 70th anniversary of its unveiling, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is hosting free guided tours at Stonefall between July 8-11.
You can book to attend here.
Hundreds attend free war graves tours at Harrogate’s Stonefall cemeteryTours were held throughout the day at Stonefall cemetery in Harrogate yesterday as part of the first war graves week, which was organised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Stonefall, which has more than 1,000 graves, is one of the largest war grave sites in northern England and one of only five directly maintained by the commission. About two-thirds of the dead are Canadian.
The cemetery was created in 1914 but most burials are airmen who died during the Second World War when bomber command bases were established in Yorkshire.
Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones, Lieutenant colonel Simon Farebrother, commanding officer of the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, Harrogate mayor Trevor Chapman and Johanna Ropner, the Lord-Lieutenant of North Yorkshire were among those attending the tours.
They heard the stories of some of the dead, including Isikeli Komaisavai, 24, believed to be the only Fijian who flew with the British Royal Air Force and two 17-year-old Canadians who lost their lives.
War graves week gave those unable to travel to burial sites in Flanders and Normandy because of covid the opportunity to discover the war heritage on their doorsteps.
It is hoped it will become an annual event.
The commission, which is funded by governments in six Commonwealth countries, maintains more than 12,500 war grave sites in virtually every town and city in the UK.
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To coincide with the week, it launched a postcode search function to enable people to search online for more than 4,000 war dead. It is available here.
Claire Horton, director general of the commission, said:
“By simply entering your postcode on our website you can take the first step towards making a new connection.
“We want people to share the stories they find and download a tribute for the men and women from their communities and display it in their window for War Graves Week.”
Ms Ropner said:
Free tours of Harrogate’s Stonefall cemetery as covid puts focus on British war graves“I would encourage everyone to find out more about the men and women commemorated by CWGC here at Stonefall and indeed around the world.”
Harrogate’s Stonefall Cemetery is holding free tours on Friday next week as part of a bid to encourage more visitors to British war graves.
With covid preventing people travelling to pay their respects to fallen soldiers in France and Belgium, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is highlighting alternatives in this country.
Stonefall is one of the largest war grave sites in northern England and one of only five directly maintained by the commission.
It therefore looks very similar to sites abroad, with rows of immaculately maintained white graves of even size.
Junior soldiers at Harrogate’s Army Foundation College, who usually travel to war graves in Normandy, recently visited Stonefall and the commission hopes the covid travel restrictions will encourage others to do likewise.
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Stonefall will be the focus of the final day of the commission’s first War Graves Week from May 21 to 28.
Tours limited to 10 people will take place throughout the day at the cemetery off Wetherby Road, which is open 24 hours a day to visitors.
Tours are free but places must be booked in advance.
Stonefall Cemetry
Elizabeth Smith, public engagement coordinator for the commission in the north-east, said:
“We are trying to draw people’s attention to the fact that we have a lot of war graves in this country,. People are aware of them abroad but less so here.
“Harrogate is a really special site for us.”
Stonefall’s Canadian connection
Stonefall has more than 1,000 graves, mostly of soldiers from the Second World War.
About two-thirds are Canadian, as its air force was based in North Yorkshire. But there are also also almost 100 Australian graves, five Caribbean graves and also the grave of the only Fijian who flew with the British Royal Air Force.
Stories of those who gave their lives will feature prominently in the tours.
A private closing ceremony for the week will take place at Stonefall on the 28th. It will be broadcast live on a Facebook as part of the commission’s digital festival.
Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, the mayor of Harrogate and the Lord-Lieutenant for North Yorkshire are expected to visit Stonefall that day.
Scaled-back Heritage Open Days begin today
Heritage Open Days, England’s largest festival of history and culture, begins today – but events are thin on the ground in the Harrogate area.
Most events have been cancelled due to coronavirus although an additional virtual programme has been added to the schedule, allowing people to go behind the scenes at cultural sites across England.
The only physical event scheduled for Harrogate is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission walk and talk at Stonefall Cemetery, which is limited to six tours of five people over two days and is currently fully booked.
Nearly 1,000 airmen who died in the Second World War are buried at the cemetery. More than two-thirds are Canadian.
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The neo-Norman church of St Mary’s in Roecliffe, which has a Jacobean pulpit, is opening its doors to visitors on all 10 days of the open days, which end on September 20.
St Martin’s Church in Knaresborough is also welcoming visitors, as is the church of Christ the Consoler at Skelton-cum-Newby at Newby Hall, near Ripon.
Heritage Open Days, which is being held for the 25th year, has adopted a hidden nature theme in 2020. It is coordinated by the National Trust.
To search for events, click here.