TO REMEMBER LEST WE FORGET

It’s been some years since I attended our local Service of Remembrance at Horsforth Cenotaph and things have moved on quite considerably.

Nick Lattimer, Curate of St James, Woodside leads the prayers

In addition to the much larger crowd than in former years congregating where Fink Hill joins the A6120, the Leeds Outer Ring Road, a number of local projects and further research have resulted in or benefitted from Heritage Lottery Funding. Namely, two new plaques displaying the names of a further 43 men from Horsforth who lost their lives in the First World War and who were missing from the original list were unveiled today and appeals have been made, and permission granted, for the memorial to be lit up at night and for replacement railings to be installed. The present railings are not original (these were removed during WWII) and have not aged well.

One of the new plaques unveiled today by the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen

Assembling just before 11am today

Another lovely feature of the programme today was local schoolboy 16 year old Ethan Wright who was presented with a cup to honour his hard work, along with other school mates, in promoting and raising money towards the Memorial projects which included sponsored swims, performance of a school drama The Pals and other fund raising efforts.

Ethan with other Remembrance Service Participants

The Kohima Epitaph :

“When you go home, tell them of us and say, for their tomorrow we gave our today.”

John Maxwell Edmonds (1875-1958)