BRAMHOPE Village Hall was the scene for a remarkable and hugely successful event organised by the Bramhope branch of the Royal British Legion to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day on Saturday, June 1.
The event was opened by Sandy Needham, the Deputy Lord Lieutenant representing the King. The hall was decorated with flags, banners and bunting. From the start at 10 am to the end of the event at 2pm there was a steady flow of people enjoying the many stalls, the historical exhibition and talks and the entertainment. Many people took the opportunity to dress in 1940s costume.
John Broadley, the chair of the RBL Bramhope Branch, said: “The atmosphere was vibrant. All the stalls did well, particularly the WI cake stall. There were some clever touches in keeping with the theme, for example Brian Mann erected a canopy of camouflage netting over his tea stall and we used bullet boxes around the hall for donations. Dennis Turner, the well known re-enactor, made a number of appearances as Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris who commanded the efforts in the air of the D-Day invasion. Tracy Craggs, the leading oral historian, not only curated the very informative exhibition on D-Day but gave a talk on the personal experiences of service men who took part in the assault at Juno beach. Several people told me how moved they were by this graphic account.
"There was also a solemn element to the day with the Reverend Roger Smith adding a few words of prayer at 11am. This was a precursor to our formal service on the 6th of June itself at the Memorial Gardens.
"We made the amazing total of £1413 for Legion funds and we thank everyone who came to the day and donated.”
Sophie Jeffrey, the organiser added: “This was a fantastic event with huge community spirit and enjoyment for all that far exceeded what we imagined could be possible. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the day, the volunteers, the WI, Bramhope Tennis Club, Scouts, Parish Council, Bramhope Royal British Legion members and all family and friends who supported the event. And special mention for the Wharfedale Observer who publicised our appeals for help in getting the event off the ground and then publicised the event itself. We thank all for coming along to the event, donating and most importantly remembering 80 years of D-Day.”
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