Candlelit Ceremony at Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery

The Commonwealth War Graves Foundation (CWGF) warmly invites members of the public to visit Stonefall Cemetery, Harrogate for the seventh annual Candlelit Christmas Remembrance on Sunday 15th December at 3.30 pm.

At the event, members of the public 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 the inspiration of 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 money for the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation and Help for Heroes.

Members of the public can sponsor a candle with the profits being split 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. Over 600 of the casualties served with the Royal Canadian Air Force and include 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 gives 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 long may it continue." 

Those wishing to attend the service 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.