From Ripon Cathedral to Knaresborough Fire Station, people fell silent for two minutes across the Harrogate district today to pay their respects to the war dead.
Thousands of people stood 20-deep in the fog around the war memorial in Harrogate for the traditional parade and outdoor service.
Thousands of people also gathered at Spa Gardens and on nearby streets in Ripon, where services were held at the war memorial and in Ripon Cathedral.
Ripon Spa Gardens
Starbeck observed a minute’s silence at 11am before the main ceremony at 3pm.
Starbeck war memorial
Further afield, Junior soldiers from Harrogate’s Army Foundation College took part in a Remembrance Sunday service at Merville Battery, France, as part of a trip learning about the Normandy invasion.
Junior soldiers from Harrogate in France today. Pic: Matt Allen / MOD Crown Copyright 2022
Besides the formal ceremonies, many people took time out of their day to observe the two-minute silence.
Firefighters at Knaresborough lined up to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Knaresborough Fire Station
It marked the culmination of commemorations, which started with a minute’s silence on Friday. November 11 at 11am.
Pateley Bridge, which traditionally holds its main service on the 11th whatever the day, did so again this year.
Harrogate’s Ashville College also held a service on Friday before students and staff, along with members of the governing body and former pupils, gathered in front of the memorial to hold a two-minute silence and to lay wreaths and poppies.
Of the 300 former Ashvillians called up in the First World War, 38 died in the conflict. Eight of those were killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.
In the Second World War, 465 former pupils and teachers volunteered for the forces, and of those 59 were killed.
Ashville College
The Cathedral clock struck 11am and Ripon fell silent for two minutes, as people reflected on those who lost their lives in World War II and specifically the war in Europe.
The city, home to The Royal Engineers and with a proud military heritage dating back to the First World War, remembered its dead both in the streets and houses and through a virtual VE Day ceremony inside the ancient church of St Peter and St Wilfrid’s.
Nestling next to the Cathedral is The Royal British Legion Garden of Remembrance, where small wooden crosses, each carrying a name and a poppy, stand as testimony to those from the city who lost their lives in conflicts.
Jack Middleton, who formerly served with the Army Air Corps and his partner Georgia Nelson, stood in silence with heads bowed.
Both (who feature in this video) have grandfathers who served in the Army and Jack told The Stray Ferret:
“With our families’ military connection, remembrance of those who fought and lost their lives is a tradition we will always observe.”
Following the two minute’s silence, the Cathedral’s virtual service began on YouTube and included a reflection from The Archbishop of York, the Most Reverend Rt. Hon. Dr John Sentamu, along with readings from the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire Mrs Jo Ropner; a lesson from Councillor Jim Clark, the leader of North Yorkshire County Council; and prayers from the Dean of Ripon, the Very Reverend John Dobson.
Music and singing was provided by the Black Dyke brass band; Dishforth Military Wives and Ripon Cathedral assistant organist Tom Coxhead, who gave a fitting finale to the service by playing William Walton’s ‘Spitfire Prelude’ – originally written for the 1942 film ‘The First of the Few.’