Celebrations set to mark Armed Forces on the Yorkshire Coast

The contribution of service men and women, reservists, veterans and their families will be recognised

The Armed Forces are set to be recognised this week on the Yorkshire Coast.

The contributions of service men and women, reservists, veterans and their families will be remembered and celebrated.

36-year-old Lee Holmes is a veteran from Scarborough.

He spent time in Afghanistan on tour in 2009 but came home a year later after being injured by a roadside bomb.

Lee said: “We were on day two of a three day operation. We were based in Nad-e-Ali in Helmand Province and we were to take a town called Marjah which was to the south. We went into this town and we expected a bit of a fight but actually what happened was the Taliban withdrew from the town and filled it with IEDs and roadside bombs.

“Every 20-30 minutes you could hear a blast going off somewhere in the town and there were quite a lot of casualties. On the second morning of day 2, we were off to a Mosque and as we walked down this one lane, a bomb had been triggered in a wall and it just covered the entire patrol of a good 30-40 men.

“It was quite chaotic with a couple of deaths, a lot of injuries, some amputations and I was injured. I got fragmentation in my left arm but it wasn’t life changing or anything of that nature. I was one of the lucky ones I suppose. I just had a big hole in my arm with a lot of blood but it didn’t change my life. It was just a mad event.

“It was a bit of a blur. I remember the blast going off. I remember the dust cloud just covering everyone and there was a moment of confusion and then as the dust cleared, you could hear shouting and screaming. I remember just being sort of stood frozen and someone shouted at me to get down in case we got ambushed. I just remember standing there and I couldn’t quite figure out what had just happened and someone shouted ‘you’re injured’.

“I noticed that my entire left sleeve, which was the yellow desert combat at the time, was just red and dripping. Half of my weapon, which was a light machine gun, the hand guard had blown off and chunks of my weapon was damaged. It was at that moment I sort of noticed and it was a bit of a shock. I obviously took cover, the dust cleared and you could just see the carnage. It was a very surreal situation.”

Lee has been speaking to Greatest Hits Radio’s Karen Liu:

North Yorkshire Council says the county has more than 12,000 people who work for the Ministry of Defence, making up four per cent of all jobs in the area, and 3,000 children from service families in schools, accounting for around five per cent of pupils in the county.

After Scarborough hosted the Armed Forces Day’s national celebrations last year, the town has a full programme of events lined up this week.

On Saturday 24th June, thousands of people can expect a packed programme of displays, parades, musical performance, interactive exhibits and much more in the coastal town.

To mark the start of the Armed Forces Day’s week of celebrations, a flag-raising ceremony, led by North Yorkshire Council’s vice-chair, Cllr Roberta Swiers, and attended by staff and pupils from Springhead School in Scarborough, will take place today (Monday 19th June) at 10.20am at the Town Hall gardens in St. Nicholas Street.

The pupils will be presented with an Armed Forces Day replica flag. Other councillors and staff representing North Yorkshire Council are also due to attend the ceremony.

Scarborough’s Armed Forces Day

The one-day free event, which will run from 11am until 5pm starting with a welcome from Scarborough Town Crier, David Birdsall, will see thousands of people enjoy the sights and sounds of a variety of aerobatic displays in the skies above Scarborough’s South Bay.

These include The Strikemasters at 11.30am, The Titans Display Team at 1pm, Miles Messenger Air Display at 2pm and The Starlings Aerobatic Team display at 3.30pm.

There is also plenty of entertainment on the ground thanks to marching bands, military parades, live demonstrations and interactive exhibits and for the first time ever, a life-sized vintage Army jeep-type vehicle created out of cardboard and paper will be displayed on the West Pier as part of the main event.

In addition, huge crowds are expected to browse around the stalls from charities, partners and military organisations on the seafront. Military families will be able to visit the Heroes Welcome stall near the entrance to the West Pier to claim a resort hosting pack containing lots of freebies and special offers for refreshments and local attractions

North Yorkshire Council’s leader, Cllr Carl Les, said: “The event is one of hundreds held across the country on this day to show our support for the men and women who make up the Armed Forces community to selflessly and bravely serve our country, from the troops currently serving to service families, veterans and cadets.

“We are looking forward to welcoming thousands of people to Scarborough who can expect a packed programme of exciting displays, spectacular parades, band performances and not forgetting the thrilling aerobatic displays.

“We are delighted to show our support for our brave servicemen and women. Armed Forces Day recognises the important contribution our Armed Forces have made and continue to make to our country and we thank them wholeheartedly for their service.

“Scarborough Armed Forces Day is one of the biggest and most popular annual events in the country. The breath-taking air displays are, for many spectators, the main highlight of the day and after the success of last year’s national event, this year’s line-up will be no exception. We look forward to seeing crowds of people enjoy the family-friendly event.”

For more information about the events line-up on Saturday 24th June, visit the Scarborough Armed Forces Day website.

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