The Commonwealth War Graves Foundation (CWGF) is hosting the seventh annual Candlelit Christmas Remembrance ceremony in Harrogate next weekend.
The event will be held at Stonefall Cemetery on Sunday 15th December from 3:30pm.
Attendees will be provided with battery-operated tealights to place on the graves of the fallen which will be followed by a short service of Remembrance.
The Candlelit Christmas Remembrance was inspired by local woman Benji Walker who had seen images of CWGC cemeteries in Europe lit by candlelight.
Benji said:
“I feel it’s as important today as it was at the time to recognise the sacrifice of those who gave everything to serve this country.
“The Candlelit Christmas Remembrance is a chance for the local community to gather to remember the sacrifice of the hundreds of CWGC casualties buried at Stonefall, many of them thousands of miles from home.
“We will encourage all those attending to remember each casualty by name as a reminder that behind each headstone is a person.”
Benji Walker, whose son served in the Royal Yorkshire Regiment and now works as a Skilled Maintenance Craftsperson for the CWGC, will be using the event to raise funds for the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation and Help for Heroes.
Members of the public can sponsor a candle with the money being shared between the charities.
With over 1,000 Commonwealth War Graves, Stonefall Cemetery in Harrogate is one of the largest CWGC sites in the North of England.
The majority of burials are airmen who died during the Second World War when bomber command bases were established across Yorkshire.
Among them are over 600 casualties who served with the Royal Canadian Air Force and including two seventeen-year-olds.
CWGC Public Engagement Coordinator, Elizabeth Smith, said:
“We’re grateful that Benji is once again organising this very special event. It offers people the opportunity to take a pause from the busyness of Christmas to pay their respects to the fallen in a very poignant way.
“At the end of the Second World War, local people were encouraged to adopt the war graves of the Canadian servicemen and lay wreaths on behalf of their families at Christmas.
“We are carrying on that tradition through this service.
“The Candlelit Christmas Remembrance has now become an annual event and we hope it will continue for years to come.
“This year, we are indebted to Harrogate International Partnership for their very generous donation of £100 towards the cost of providing the candles.”
Attendees are advised to dress warmly, wear solid shoes and bring torches.
The meeting point is the war graves plot adjacent to Forest Lane.
Parking is available in the cemetery car park off Forest Lane.
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