At 3.30pm on Sunday 15 December, a Christmas Memorial Service took place at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site in Harrogate’s Stonefall Cemetery, with a candle being placed on every grave. Visitors can see the whole area is so well kept, with the rose bushes pruned and ready to flower again next year. 

The Candlelit ceremony was organised by Benji Walker with the help of Elizabeth Smith from the CWGC. It was well attended on what was a cold, windy, twilight afternoon. Attendees included young representatives from the armed forces, Chris Aldred the Harrogate Charter Mayor, Tom Gordon MP, and representatives from Harrogate International Partnerships, among many others.

At the beginning of the ceremony, those attending placed lit candles in front of all the CWGC graves, stopping to remember those who died, and to ‘speak’ their names out loud.

Miranda Kidman, a language student and Youth Ambassador for Harrogate International Partnerships, was one of those who spoke during the ceremony. Of the 23 New Zealand aircrew buried at Stonefall, five are from Wellington, Harrogate’s twin. Miranda named them as Flight Sergeant John Matthew Stack (age 27), Flying Officer Terence McKinley (age 21), Pilot Officer Charles Agnew (age 25), Pilot Officer Alfred Churchill Lockyer (age 23), and Flight Sergeant Francis Edward Hothersall (age 29).

As Harrogate is also twinned with Barrie in Canada, both Barrie and Harrogate are conscious of their role in representing all 660 Canadian air crew buried at Stonefall, and Miranda named Flying Officer William Howard Porritt, age 25, from the City of Barrie.

Reminding us that the duty of memory is laid on all of us, young and old, the ceremony concluded with the laying of Wreaths and a rendition of the last Post.

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Say their names out loud

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From Barrie and from Wellington – now near neighbours

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A very poignant ceremony, especially when the evening light fades slowly and the candles seem to get brighter.

Lest we forget

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