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Harrogate (Stonefall) Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Harrogate Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission
(CWGC) burial ground for the dead of World War I
and World War II
located on the outskirts of Harrogate
in North Yorkshire
, England
.
The cemetery
grounds are located next to the main municipal cemetery
and crematorium for the district.
bases during World War II. In particular, No 6 RCAF
Bomber Group had headquarters at Allerton Park
in nearby Knaresborough
.
An area of the municipal cemetery was set aside for use as a war cemetery at the start of the war and received burials, mostly from after July 1943, mostly airmen, mostly Canadians
, until after the end of the war. Burials are from northern airfields and the military wing of the now demolished Harrogate General Hospital in Starbeck.
Within the cemetery, there are burials of or memorials to 23 World War I troops.
that crashed on Helmsley
Moor on the morning of 17 May 1944. Five burials (all serving in the RCAF, but two were from the United States
) in adjoining plots are of the crew of Halifax bomber
EB203, which crashed into a railway bridge in Bishop Monkton
on 15 April 1944.
A special memorial commemorates six World War I troops whose graves are in local churchyards around Yorkshire and cannot be maintained by the Commission. The actual grave of one of those commemorated, Edgar Audsley, has since been destroyed as part of development works on the site of South Ossett Baptist Burial Ground.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves, and places of commemoration, of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars...
(CWGC) burial ground for the dead of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
located on the outskirts of Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
grounds are located next to the main municipal cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
and crematorium for the district.
Foundation
This area of Yorkshire had many RAFRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
bases during World War II. In particular, No 6 RCAF
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
Bomber Group had headquarters at Allerton Park
Allerton Castle
Allerton Castle, formerly "Allerton Park" is a Grade I listed nineteenth century Gothic or Victorian Gothic house at Allerton Mauleverer in North Yorkshire, England...
in nearby Knaresborough
Knaresborough
Knaresborough is an old and historic market town, spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located on the River Nidd, four miles east of the centre of Harrogate.-History:...
.
An area of the municipal cemetery was set aside for use as a war cemetery at the start of the war and received burials, mostly from after July 1943, mostly airmen, mostly Canadians
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, until after the end of the war. Burials are from northern airfields and the military wing of the now demolished Harrogate General Hospital in Starbeck.
Within the cemetery, there are burials of or memorials to 23 World War I troops.
Notable graves
Many of the burials are from aircrews killed in training or on the ground or who died later in the local hospital. Amongst the burials in the cemetery are three (all Canadians) of the seven crew of a Lancaster bomberAvro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
that crashed on Helmsley
Helmsley
Helmsley is a market town and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. The town is located at the point where the valleys of Bilsdale and Ryedale leave the higher moorland and join the flat Vale of Pickering. It is situated on the River Rye and lies on the A170 road, east...
Moor on the morning of 17 May 1944. Five burials (all serving in the RCAF, but two were from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) in adjoining plots are of the crew of Halifax bomber
Handley Page Halifax
The Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engined heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing...
EB203, which crashed into a railway bridge in Bishop Monkton
Bishop Monkton
Bishop Monkton is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England, about five miles south of Ripon. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 775....
on 15 April 1944.
Special memorials
A plaque in the cemetery records the names of 12 servicemen of World War II who were cremated rather than being buried here.A special memorial commemorates six World War I troops whose graves are in local churchyards around Yorkshire and cannot be maintained by the Commission. The actual grave of one of those commemorated, Edgar Audsley, has since been destroyed as part of development works on the site of South Ossett Baptist Burial Ground.