15/09/2026
Honouring a century of service and sacrifice at Eden Camp for SSAFA North Yorkshire 🎖️🪖🙏
SSAFA, North Yorkshire volunteers joined veterans, cadets and military organisations at Eden Camp Modern History Museum for a special Service of Thanksgiving and Remembrance.
Representatives from SSAFA North Yorkshire Branch attended the event on Sunday September 13, which remembered military and civilian personnel involved in conflicts over the past 100 years.
Among those joining the SSAFA team was 80-year-old REME veteran Joe Russell and his wife Anne, who were welcomed by the branch and spent the day with members of the SSAFA community.
The branch is also hoping to help Joe make contact with fellow veterans of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, offering the chance to share memories and reconnect with others from a similar military background.
The parade brought together a military band, standard bearers, veterans’ associations, cadets and other organisations before the service, which was conducted by the Reverend Major Joe Kinsella.
Wing Commander Damian Clayton MBE was the senior officer attending this year’s event and laid a wreath on behalf of the Armed Forces, civilian organisations and Eden Camp.
The Exhortation was delivered by Korean War veteran Ken Keld, followed by the Last Post, a two-minute silence and the National Anthem.
SSAFA North Yorkshire was represented by Branch Treasurer Bob Walton and volunteers Beverley Robb and Stephanie French alongside other supporters of the branch including Rachel Walton, Anthony Walton, Elly Hutson, Statutory Partnerships Manager.
Bob Walton said: "It was a wonderful day and a real privilege to be part of such a moving service. Events like this are about remembrance, of course, but they're also about bringing the Armed Forces Community together. It was particularly nice to have Joe with us. At 80, he has a lifetime of memories from his time with REME, Sometimes simply knowing that there are people around who understand that part of your life can mean a great deal."
