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11
Nov 2021
Wreaths laid at newly restored Harrogate war memorial
Wreaths were laid this morning at a newly restored memorial at Grove Road cemetery that contains the names of 16 men from the Bilton and High Harrogate areas who lost their lives in the First World War.
It was attended by around a dozen people who listened to the Last Post and observed a two-minute silence at 11am to mark Remembrance Day.
Paul Haslam, a Conservative councillor who represents Harrogate Old Bilton on Harrogate Borough Council and Harrogate Bilton and Nidd Gorge on North Yorkshire County Council, spearheaded a campaign to see the dilapidated memorial restored in time for Remembrance Day.
Cllr Haslam said:
When the nearby methodist church was converted to flats, the memorial was relocated to the cemetery where it was left in parts on pallets, almost forgotten in the undergrowth. Work to restore it cost about £6,000 and was paid for by Harrogate Borough Council.
Read more:
- Guide to Remembrance services in the Harrogate district
- Hundreds attend free war graves tours at Harrogate’s Stonefall cemetery
Cllr Haslam's wife Kath researched the histories of the men it names.
These include Fred W.C Horner, who was only 19 when he was killed. Charles V. Bell and John W. Fishburn both were killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.
Dean Alexander and Nathan Proctor, two Ripon-based builders who are also ex-Royal Engineer soldiers worked to restore the memorial.
Mr Alexander said:
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