FREE guided tours of a North Yorkshire cemetery will be held to mark International Women’s Day and Commonwealth Day next month.
During the Second World War, nearly 1,000 service personnel were buried at Stonefall Cemetery, in Harrogate.
Many of them came from across the Commonwealth and they include more than 600 Canadian and almost 100 Australian service personnel alongside casualties from East Africa, the Caribbean, New Zealand and Fiji.
The guided tours for International Women’s Day - taking place on March 5, 6 and 8 - will shine a spotlight on the six female casualties commemorated at Stonefall.
They include local women who served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service and the Territorial Army Nursing Service.
One of the women, Sister Florrie Prest from Bilton, served at Dunkirk and in Africa and also on hospital ships in the Atlantic and Mediterranean.
During the tours for Commonwealth Day - on March 12 to 14th March - the public will be able to learn more about the casualties from across the Commonwealth who are buried at Stonefall.
These include two brothers serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force who died just a few months apart as well as a descendent of the last King of Fiji.
Another of casualties is William Stuart McMullen who guided his stricken plane away from Darlington town centre in January 1945 - saving the lives of countless townsfolk by sacrificing his own.
His panel will be placed at his graveside for all of the tours and his story will be told on the Commonwealth Day tours.
The tours are an integral part of the CWGC 'Ordinary People Extraordinary Times Around The World' campaign.
Elizabeth Smith, public engagement coordinator for the North East of England, said: "The Commonwealth War Graves Commission cares for 170,000 war graves from both World Wars at more than 12,500 locations in the United Kingdom.
"The Air Force plot at Stonefall Cemetery is unique in the North of England due to its size and resemblance to our sites overseas.
"The themed guided tours at Stonefall Cemetery will give local people a chance to reconnect with their history, to learn about the work of the CWGC, and discover the remarkable stories of the men and women who are buried in their community."
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The free themed guided tours will take place between Saturday, March 5 and Monday, March 14 14th March.
Bookings can be made via www.cwgc.org/our-war-graves-your-history/what-s-happening-near-you/
For more information contact: Elizabeth Smith on elizabeth.smith@cwgc.org
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