Photo of the Week: The fallen in the fallCandlelit Christmas service to remember Harrogate war dead

More than 1,000 servicemen who died in the two World Wars are to be honoured at a candlelit Christmas remembrance event in Harrogate. 

Members of the public are invited to join the event, which will be held at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) site at Stonefall Cemetery on Sunday, December 18 at 3.30pm.  

Visitors will be provided with battery-operated tealights to place on the graves of the fallen, which will be followed by a short service of remembrance. 

Stonefall is one of the largest CWGC sites in the North of England and holds 1,013 Commonwealth casualties, 988 of them airmen who died during the Second World War, when Bomber Command bases were established across Yorkshire. 

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Two thirds of these are Canadian – including two 17-year-olds – and there are also graves of servicemen from the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and the Caribbean. Many of them died in the military wing of Harrogate General Hospital. 

Local resident Benji Walker, who conceived and organised the event, said:

“I feel it’s as important today as it was at the time to recognise the sacrifice of those who gave everything to serve this country. The Candlelit Christmas Remembrance is a chance for the local community to gather to remember the sacrifice of the hundreds of CWGC casualties buried at Stonefall, many of them thousands of miles from home.”  

Mr Walker, who has a son serving in the Yorkshire Regiment, will be using the event to raise money for the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation and Help for Heroes. Members of the public can sponsor a candle with the profits being split between Help for Heroes and the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation (CWGF).  

CWGC public engagement coordinator Elizabeth Smith said:

“We’re grateful to what Benji has inspired here, a chance for people from all over the world to pay their respects to the fallen at a unique site, and at a special time of year. This has now become an annual event and long may it continue.  

“The Air Force plot at Stonefall Cemetery is incredible and resembles the sites we care for overseas. At the end of the Second World War local people were encouraged to adopt the war graves of the Canadian servicemen and lay wreaths on behalf of their families at Christmas.”  

Those wishing to attend the service are advised to dress warmly, wear appropriate footwear, and bring torches. The meeting point is the war graves plot adjacent to Forest Lane. Parking is available in the cemetery car park off Forest Lane. 

Stonefall Cemetery to host free war graves tours this month

*UPDATE*: This event has been cancelled as a mark of respect for Her Majesty.

 

Free tours will be held at Stonefall Cemetery next month where visitors can learn about some of the remarkable men and women of the Commonwealth forces who are buried there.

They are being organised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) as part of the Heritage Open Days Scheme and will take place on September 10, 15, 17 and 18.

More than 1,000 casualties from both world wars are buried at Stonefall Cemetery.

Staff will be telling some new stories this year including the story of Dorothy Robson also known as ‘Bomb Sight Bertha’, the engineer who was instrumental in the development of the bomb sight on bombers and Flight Lieutenant Vincent Parker who was known as the ‘Locksmith of Colditz’.

On September 15, members of the public can also try their hand at stone engraving and will learn about how the CWGC maintains the headstones at the cemetery.

The director of external relations at the CWGC, Liz Woodfield, said:

“Everyone in Harrogate is very welcome to attend the Heritage Open Days at Stonefall Cemetery. They’re a great opportunity to learn how the CWGC honours and cares for the men and women of the Commonwealth who died in the First and Second World Wars, ensuring they will never be forgotten.

“There’ll be plenty going on from fascinating tours and talks to interactive activities such as stone engraving. Visitors will also learn how the CWGC is becoming more sustainable and is playing its part in tackling the key environmental concerns of our time.”

To book a free tour, visit www.cwgc.org/opendays .

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Free war grave tours at Harrogate’s Stonefall Cemetery next week

Local residents are invited to come along to free tours at Stonefall Cemetery next week.

The initiative is part of War Graves Week, organised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).

The CWGC manages 23,000 cemeteries across the globe, including Harrogate which is home to the graves of more than 1,000 casualties World War One and World War Two.

The free tours, held between May 25 and May 28, will share stories about those buried in Harrogate including the Canadian brothers Lloyd and Harold Hannah, killed within weeks of each other and now buried together at Stonefall and the local woman who served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service and was sadly killed in the York Blitz.

This year’s War Graves Week theme is ordinary people, extraordinary times which celebrates those who alongside people on the front-line worked in essential sectors such as healthcare, logistics and communications.

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The tours will be led by local CWGC volunteers and Elizabeth Smith CWGC public engagement coordinator.

Ms Smith said:

“For us at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, remembrance and the sharing and caring for World War heritage is a daily duty. Behind every name on a war grave or memorial in Harrogate is a human story waiting to be discovered and War Graves Week is the perfect opportunity to do just that.

“I’d encourage everyone in Harrogate to join one of the tours to reconnect with their local history to learn about the courageous ordinary people from our community who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.”

To book a tour click here.

Stonefall Cemetery highlights Harrogate’s female war casualties

To mark International Women’s Day next month, free tours will take place at Stonefall Cemetery that put a spotlight on six female war casualties who are commemorated there.

The tours have been organised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) and will take place on March 5,6 and 8.

Visitors will be able to learn more about local women who served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service and the Territorial Army Nursing Service.

One of the women, Sister Florrie Prest from Bilton, served at Dunkirk and in Africa and also on hospital ships in the Atlantic and Mediterranean.

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During the Second World War almost 1,000 service personnel were buried at Stonefall Cemetery. Many of them came from across the Commonwealth. There will also be tours from March 12-14 to mark Commonwealth Day.

These include two brothers serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force who died just a few months apart as well as a descendent of the last King of Fiji.

Elizabeth Smith, public engagement coordinator for the North East of England, said:

“The themed guided tours at Stonefall Cemetery will give local people a chance to reconnect with their history, to learn about the work of the CWGC, and discover the remarkable stories of the men and women who are buried in their community.”

To book on the free tours visit https://www.cwgc.org/our-war-graves-your-history/what-s-happening-near-you/

For more information please contact: Elizabeth Smith on elizabeth.smith@cwgc.org

Christmas candlelit vigil planned for Stonefall war dead

Candles will be lit for more than 1,000 fallen soldiers at Stonefall Cemetary on Sunday December 19.

Harrogate mum Benji Walker has been running Candles for Heroes every year since 2018 because she does not want the men to be forgotten.

Ms Walker said:

“I have a son who serves in the Yorkshire Regiment. It’s important to me. They should be always be remembered. Christmas is a special time anyway for family, so it’s a nice time to remember the sacrifice they gave.”

Stonefall is one of the largest war grave sites in northern England.

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. About two-thirds of the dead are Canadian.

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In 2019 around 80 people came to pay their respects where a service was held including sea and air cadets as well as a bugler playing the Last Post.

Last year was a private service was held due to covid restrictions.

This year anyone is invited to attend at Stonefall Cemetery on December 19 at 4pm.

Donations are appreciated with all money raised shared between Commonwealth War Graves Commission and Help for Heroes.

For more information visit the Candles For Heroes Facebook page.

Harrogate district soldiers given military burial 104 years after death

Two Harrogate district soldiers killed during World War One have finally been laid to rest today with full military honours.

Their bodies were among nine sets of human remains found during civil engineering works in the Belgium town of Beselare three years ago.

Archaeologists from the Flanders Heritage Agency subsequently discovered the remains of the trench, a bomb pit and a separate bomb pit outside the trench.

Eight of the nine bodies found inside the trench are believed to have died at the same time as the result of an explosion in October 1917. The ninth was found separately.

Through a combination of military research, anthropology and DNA, Ministry of Defence ‘war detectives’ managed to identify seven of the nine soldiers by name.

The men included 21-year-old Lance Corporal Stanley Blakeborough from Pateley Bridge and 28-year-old Private Harry Miller, who worked as a farm labourer in Burton Leonard.

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An eighth casualty, who remains unknown, is believed to have served with the same regiment (11th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers) whilst the ninth and final casualty is unknown by name or regiment.

The service in Belgium today. Credit: Ministry of Defence

Nicola Nash, from the Ministry of Defence said:

“After working on this case for nearly three years, it gives me an immense feeling of pride to see these men finally being laid to rest. It has been wonderful to share this emotional day with so many of the family members, who have travelled as far as Australia to attend.

“The sacrifice these men made will never be forgotten.”

Today’s service was organised by the MoD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre and was held at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Tyne Cot Cemetery near Ypres in Belgium.

The MOD war detectives also traced the relatives of some of the men, with five different families attending the service.

The Duke of Kent attended the service in his capacity as the Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Hundreds attend free war graves tours at Harrogate’s Stonefall cemetery

Tours 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:

“I would encourage everyone to find out more about the men and women commemorated by CWGC here at Stonefall and indeed around the world.”

Free tours of Harrogate’s Stonefall cemetery as covid puts focus on British war graves

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.