Thousands expected in Scarborough for Armed Forces Day

They will be treated to air displays, parades, performances and military exhibits

Author: Kathy GreenPublished 29th Jun 2024

Events are taking place across North Yorkshire to mark Armed Forces Day.

Thousands of people will be in Scarborough to view air displays, parades, performances and military exhibits.

This year, one of the VIP guests attending Armed Forces Day is World War Two veteran Ray Whitwell, aged 105, originally from Malton and now living in Scarborough.

Ray was conscripted into the Army in 1939 at the age of 20 and was sent to Belgium as a lorry driver delivering fuel to the front-line.

In 1940, he was part of the defence of Dunkirk and instead of waiting to be evacuated, drove inland to Lille, took a train to Cherbourg and managed to get a lift back to England on a Dutch fishing boat. In 1941, he and his company converted to paratroopers and fought in North Africa, Sicily and Italy.

In 1944, he was one of the first Royal Army Service Corps to be dropped into the Netherlands in Operation Market Garden.

Of the war, Ray said: “I always knew that I was coming back. I took every bit of precaution like taking cover which I thought was common sense.”

He maintained that he does not see himself as a hero, and insisted: “I’m just ordinary.”

Scarborough Armed Forces Day will feature four air displays, performances from the Yorkshire Corps and Drums and the Yorkshire Volunteers Band as well as local sea and air cadet drill teams.

Chief executive, Richard Flinton, said: “It is important that we celebrate Armed Forces Day and give thanks to our service personnel and veterans.

“I am proud that North Yorkshire was one of the first places in the UK to have an Armed Forces Covenant in place and the county is home to many who have served, or are serving, in the Armed Forces.

“With this year being the 80th anniversary of D-Day, it is an opportunity to reflect on how much those who serve in the forces sacrifice for us, and the stories of veteran Ray Whitwell really drive that message home."

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