There will be a short service to remember those who came from around the world to help this country when its needs were greatest.
- Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery (adjacent to Stonefall Cemetery)
- 1 pm on 10 November 2024
The Reverend David Hoskins will lead the service. In attendance will be junior soldiers from the Army Foundation College, air cadets, pupils of Ashville College, the Harrogate Band and wreath layers including a deputy Lord Lieutenant, our new MP, our Charter Mayor, representatives of British and allied forces, and leaders of local organisations.
Every year Remembrance means something a little different. Either the world has changed or we have changed and so our response to the service and sacrifice of this and past generations becomes different. This year we have been commemorating D-Day and the Arnhem campaign, one successful, the other not, but both having profound and tragic consequences for many civilians. And we have also been witnessing in real time the terrible destruction of life in the Middle East.
The service at Harrogate’s Stonefall cemetery this year picks up on those themes. It follows one British and Canadian bomber crew as they attack targets in France in that period when the strategic bombing campaign was suspended and Bomber Command was working directly with the invading forces to assist their lodgement and breakout and also to attempt to destroy the launch sites of the terror-weapon that were causing destruction at home.
Guy Wilson, Harrogate Brigantes Rotary:
We’ll stand with one man waiting for a bus to take him to hospital for a check-up after being injured in a motorcycle accident. We’ll be with him as the aircraft he should have been in crashes in front of his eyes. And, as it crashes, it kills a little boy innocently playing in his garden. Such are the deadly chances of war. To learn more join us at Stonefall on Sunday as we reflect on courage and on loss and pray for a better, more peaceful future.
