In the week leading up to Remembrance Day 2021, over 140 officers and soldiers of The Yorkshire Regiment will lay commemorative wreaths at war memorials in 30 towns across the region as well as parading on Remembrance Sunday, 14 November, in Hull; Barnsley, Huddersfield, Middlesbrough and York.
Starting on Monday, November 8, and running through to Remembrance Sunday, small, socially distanced aware, wreath-laying parties of Yorkshire Regiment soldiers will conduct private ceremonies across Yorkshire and Teesside to honour those who should never be forgotten.
The man behind this poignant effort is Warrant Officer 1, Chris Edley, the Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) of 4th Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, British Army Reserve, based in the Battalion Headquarters in York. He said:
“Despite the restrictions and limitations we have faced over the last 18 months, both in our private lives and across the Army, we are determined to carry out the important Act of Remembrance across our home county. And for Remembrance 2021, we will be taking the time to remember in particular our ‘operational generation’ of younger veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan”. RSM Edley will be attending the Sheffield event on 14 November.
Yorkshire Regiment wreaths will be laid in the following locations: Sutton on Hull, Beverley, Hull, Hornsea, Bridlington, Barnsley, Rotherham, Barnoldswick, Sheffield, Wakefield, Huddersfield, Bradford, Skipton, Mirfield, Keighley, Huddersfield, Leeds, Middlesbrough, Stockton on Tees, Stokesley, Redcar, Whitby, Yarm, Richmond, Harrogate, Scarborough, York, Ripon, Northallerton and Selby.
Following recent events in Afghanistan, there has been much reflection and analysis over what our contribution delivered. Colonel of the Regiment, Brigadier ZR Stenning OBE, who commanded 3 YORKS in Afghanistan, said:
“I am immensely proud of what we collectively delivered and achieved as The Yorkshire Regiment in Afghanistan. Over 14 years and 11 operational tours, we helped deter terrorist attacks on the United Kingdom and helped create local conditions for security. We did that and we gave the people of Helmand a chance, but this came at a huge price; 17 members of the Regiment fell with 36 physically injured. We will always honour and remember their and their family’s huge sacrifice.
“As we go forward, the Regiment continues to enhance its links with young service leavers and those who served in more recent conflicts, the ‘operational generation’, who may need our help. As a Yorkshire Regiment family, we remain forever vigilant for those who are suffering mental scars from Iraq, Afghanistan and other recent conflicts. We are committed to caring and looking out for each other.”
On 6 November at the regimental chapel in York Minster, the Regiment will conduct its annual Service of Remembrance led by the newly appointed Chaplain of the Regiment, Major (Rev’d) Ben Norton. This will be followed by a parade of serving personnel and veterans, led by the Band of the Yorkshire Regiment. The Colonel of the Regiment, Brigadier Zac Stenning OBE will take the salute and will be available for interview after the parade.
In Huddersfield Town Hall on 12 November, The Band of The Yorkshire Regiment will deliver a Service of Remembrance and will be performing in Selby on Remembrance Sunday.
In Barnsley on 14 November, soldiers from The Yorkshire Regiment will be on parade, providing a regional, military presence in support of the newly appointed Lord Lieutenant of South Yorkshire, Dame Hilary Chapman.
