Why Harrogate is shining a light on British WW2 heroes 'Locksmith of Colditz' and 'Bomb Sight Bertha' after all these years

Among the many sites of heritage opening up free to the public will be four days of tours at Stonefall Cemetery in Harrogate.

As part of the tours organised by The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, two new stories will be shared:

Flight Lieutenant Vincent Parker who was originally from the north east and was captured during the Battle of Britain before spending the rest of the war as a POW.

Eventually, Parker ended up in Colditz where he became known as the 'Locksmith of Colditz'.

Dorothy Robson, who born in Guisborough and graduated in Physics from Leeds University, became known in the Second World War as 'Bomb Sight Bertha', the engineer who was instrumental in the development of the bomb sight on bombers.

Sadly, on her final flight of the war from Holme-on-Spalding Moor, her plane crashed near Market Weighton and she was mortally wounded.

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

The Heritage Open Day Tours will take place on the 10th, 15th, 17th and 18th September

As part of the event, there will also be an official Open Day at Stonefall Cemetery on Thursday, September 15.

That day’s event will feature two of The Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s stonemasons on site and members of the public will be able to try their hand at carving letters.