14th November 2021
Service of Remembrance at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery, Harrogate.
Pictured 6 year old Henry Dunn lays a wreath on behalf of the Soldiers and Airmans Scripture Reading Association
Picture Gerard Binks14th November 2021
Service of Remembrance at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery, Harrogate.
Pictured 6 year old Henry Dunn lays a wreath on behalf of the Soldiers and Airmans Scripture Reading Association
Picture Gerard Binks
14th November 2021 Service of Remembrance at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery, Harrogate. Pictured 6 year old Henry Dunn lays a wreath on behalf of the Soldiers and Airmans Scripture Reading Association Picture Gerard Binks

PICTURE SPECIAL: People gather for Remembrance Sunday in Harrogate

Thousands of people from across the district fell silent as they paid their respects to the fallen on Remembrance Sunday.

In Harrogate, on the 100th anniversary of the Royal British Legion and the Poppy Appeal, the Army, the Harrogate Band, Harrogate Sea Cadets, beavers, dignitaries and veterans all took part in a parade from the Cenotaph in the town centre. This was followed by the laying of wreaths at the War Memorial.

At Stonefall Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery, trainee soldiers from the Army Foundation College and cadets from 58 (Harrogate) Squadron Air training Corps paraded, The Harrogate Band played, and 23 wreaths were laid on the stone of remembrance by local dignitaries and representatives of British and allied armed forces. These included Deputy Lord Lieutenant Reverend Brian Hunt, the Mayor of Harrogate Coun Trevor Chapman and Andrew Jones MP.

There was also a Remembrance Service in the Spa Gardens in Ripon featuring more than 300 of today’s troops, a parade of the Knaresborough Royal British Legion through Knaresborough High Street, a service at Pateley Bridge and Bewerley Memorial Hall and a parade through Wetherby led by the Wetherby Silver Band followed by a service, Act of Remembrance and wreath laying.

On Friday, around 200 children of armed forces personnel stationed in North Yorkshire gathered at Ripon Cathedral for their own special service of Remembrance. The children’s songs, poetry and art celebrated 100 years of the poppy as the symbol of remembrance.

The Dean of Ripon, the Very Rev John Dobson DL said: “This is such a worthwhile event with which we always love being engaged. This year, it has a special added dimension as we celebrate the centenary of the British Legion and of the poppy being used as a symbol of remembrance.”

The district also gathered to pay their respects at 11am on Armistice Day, November 11.

At Ashville College,pupils and staff gathered around its War Memorial for a two minutes’ silence, the playing of The Last Post and the laying of wreaths. At Ripon Cathedral, a commemorative concert featured the Ripon City Band and the Dishforth Military Wives Choir while at the Pateley Bridge and Bewerley Memorial Hall, people gathered for a Remembrance service and to see a display commemorating the Nidderdale soldiers.

Major General Michael Charlton-Weedy, County President of the RBL, said: “After 100 years, we remain firmly focused on the needs of the service community and their families. The need is not diminishing. In recent years, we have spent more than £70m annually on welfare, and the money raised in the Poppy Appeal is vital for our activities.”

There was also a Remembrance Service in the Spa Gardens in Ripon featuring more than 300 of today’s troops, a parade of the Knaresborough Royal British Legion through Knaresborough High Street, a service at Pateley Bridge and Bewerley Memorial Hall and a parade through Wetherby led by the Wetherby Silver Band followed by a service, Act of Remembrance and wreath laying.

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