Leeds Armed Forces Day Festival
The annual Armed Forces Day event is becoming the Armed Forces Festival for 2024 with a month-long extravaganza of themed activities, shows, talks, and exhibitions, culminating in the traditional city centre-based Armed Forces Day event on Sunday, 30 June.
Highlights of the festival include talks and exhibitions hosted by Leeds Museums and Galleries; a special D-Day anniversary music and comedy show at City Varieties; an armed forces career event at Leeds and York Partnership NHS trust; and a special tour of the Thackray Museum of Medicine which served as a First World War military hospital.
D-Day Silhouette – Lest We Forget
- Royal Armouries Museum
To commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day visitors can contribute to a new interactive display – ‘Lest We Forget’ – featuring a statue silhouette of a soldier. Visitors are invited to spend a quiet moment reflecting on the impact of D-Day in this installation located at the entrance to the museum. Visitors will be welcome to share their thoughts and recollections, and join in honouring the sacrifices of those who gave so much for today’s freedoms.
- 04 June – 28 June 2024, 10-5pm
1152 Club: Talks at Abbey House Museum
- Abbey House Museum
The 1152 Club is a history and heritage talks series for people aged 55 and over, held at Abbey House Museum. June’s talk will be: “Stories of Leeds citizens serving in the First World War” with Kitty Ross, Curator of Leeds & Social History at Leeds Museums & Galleries.
- 4 June 2024, 10:00 am - 11:15 am
D-Day: Victory Unleashed
- New Headingly Club, 56 St Michael's Rd, Headingley, Leeds LS6 3BG
This event will commemorate and celebrate the pivotal WWII Normandy Landings, also known as D-Day. Attendees will explore June 6th’s events, guided by military historian Guy Wilson, who will discuss its impact and modern perceptions, accompanied by a D-Day diorama from Leeds Wargames Club. An entry fee of £12.50 includes a light buffet, tea, coffee, and supports the Army Benevolent Fund, aiding soldiers, veterans, and their families. A cash bar will be available.
Book tickets via email or by telephone on 01748 900236.
- 6 June 2024, 12pm – 3pm
Pixels to Paint
- New Headingly Club, 56 St Michael's Rd, Headingley, Leeds LS6 3BG
The Pixels to Paint competition invites participants to submit scanned photos and stories of relatives who served in the British Army. One entry will be turned into a bespoke picture by veteran artist Lee Buccilli. The competition runs from June 6 to November 11, 2024, with a £5 entry fee. Net profits support the Army Benevolent Fund.
- 6 June - 11 November 2024
D-Day 80 Weekend
- Royal Armouries Museum
The weekend will be filled with blank firing demonstrations, poignant performance pieces taken from first-hand accounts of those on the beaches of Normandy and technical talks surrounding the weapon development during the Second World War.
This is a free event but please pre-book your tickets online to guarantee entry.
- 08 June & 09 June 2024, 10am-5pm
SPIRIT OF THE BLITZ
D-Day 80th Anniversary Special
- City Varieties
Join the City Varieties to commemorate the D-Day 80th Anniversary with “Spirit of the Blitz,” celebrating the resilient spirit of wartime Britain. Sing along to nostalgic hits like “Don’t Sit Under The Apple Tree” and “We’ll Meet Again” performed by Andy Eastwood, Maggie O’Hara, and Pete Lindup. Experience a heart-warming journey through the melodies and comedy of the 1940s.
- Sat 8 June 2024, 2.30pm
World War One and World War Two collection displays
- Leeds City Museum
As part of the Leeds’ Story gallery at Leeds City Museum, displays from the city’s collections include World War One and World War Two, in particular the Home Front.
- Available during museum opening times
Veterans' Cafe
- Ghyll Royd Care Home
Calling all veterans! Don’t miss our special Veterans Café at Ghyll Royd Care Home on June 25, 2024. Connect with fellow veterans and residents over tea, cake, and friendly conversation. Wear your uniform, bring your medals, and share stories. Join us for an afternoon of camaraderie and new friendships!
- Tues 25 June 2024, 10.30am
NHS Webinar: Mental Health Careers & Armed Forces Support
- Online
Explore career opportunities in mental health and learning disability care with Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT). From Administration to Nursing, we offer over 350 roles to support your career. Hear expert advice on NHS job applications and interviews. Discover how LYPFT supports the Armed Forces Community with guaranteed interviews. Join us!
- Monday 10th June 10am-12pm & 3-5pm
1940s Weekend
- Lotherton Hall
Join us for a 1940s weekend at Lotherton with vintage music and dancing. Enjoy family-friendly tribute shows featuring award-winning vocalist Miss Marina Mae, known for her 1940s passion and vintage wardrobe. The event includes outdoor garden games, craft activities, and a planned flypast for Armed Forces weekend. Held in the gardens with limited seating, please dress for the weather. Included in general admission; pre-book online and bring your ticket for entry.
Included in the price of the Lotherton Hall admission.
- 15-16 June 2024 – Sat 10-5pm, Sun 10-4pm
Lawnswood Cemetery Tour
- Lawnswood Cemetery, Otley Road, Adel LS16 6AH
Behind every name on a war grave or memorial at Lawnswood Cemetery is a human story waiting to be discovered! Join us for a free tour of some of the First and Second World War Graves at Lawnswood Cemetery where the Commonwealth War Graves Commission commemorates over 300 casualties. Places are limited.
- 23 June & 14 July 2024, 10am
Remember Together: A forgotten chapter in our history
- Online
More than 70 years after the UK’s nuclear weapon testing programme started, the veterans involved are being awarded medals. To mark this, Remember Together invites you to a 45 minute digital event online for Leeds Armed Forces Festival. Discover their stories through intergenerational films and write your messages for our nuclear test veterans.
- 27 June, 6.30pm - 7.15pm
The Front Line: Medical Museum or War Hospital?
- Thackray Museum of Medicine
Discover the Thackray Museum, formerly the East Leeds War Hospital in WWI. Join their guided tour, led by a military history enthusiast, exploring soldiers’ experiences. Learn about their journey, care, and outcomes through photos, poetry, and artifacts. The tour lasts 35-40 mins, followed by 20 mins for questions and viewing WWI-related objects. Armed Forces members enjoy 20% off annual tickets with valid ID.
- Tours: Friday 28 June
Sociable History Club
- Leeds City Museum
Sociable History Club is a series of free, monthly talks for adults, with guest speakers and a different theme each time held at Leeds City Museum. July’s talk will be: “Stories of Leeds citizens serving in the Second World War” with Kitty Ross, Curator of Leeds & Social History at Leeds Museums & Galleries.
- 5 July 2024, 10:30 am – 12:00 noon
Pudsey Cemetery Tour
- Pudsey Cemetery
Behind every name on a war grave or memorial at Lawnswood Cemetery is a human story waiting to be discovered!
Join us for a free tour of Pudsey Cemetery on the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. The tour will include stories of the Leeds and Bradford Pals with some additional WW2 stories.
Places are limited so please book a ticket in advance.
- Tour: 1 July 2024, 7pm
Hyde & Seek Screening
- Hyde Park Picture House
Ethel & Ernest (PG, 2016, 94min)
Based on the award-winning book by acclaimed British author and illustrator Raymond Briggs, this beautifully hand-drawn, animated feature film tells the true story of Raymond’s own parents – Ethel and Ernest – two ordinary Londoners living through a period of extraordinary events and immense social change.
- Screening: 13th July, 2024 – 11.00am Sunday 14th July – 11.00am (autism-friendly) Sunday 1th July – 11.30am
- Screening: 14th July 2024 11am (autism-friendly)
- Screening: 14th July 2024 11.30 am
Memory Matinee Screening
- Hyde Park Picture House
Whisky Galore! (PG, 1949, 82min)
Classic Ealing comedy about the mayhem that ensues when a whisky-laden ship runs aground off the coast of the Outer Hebrides during the Second World War.
Rooted in the idea that a trip to the cinema is a powerful way to reconnect with memories, Memory Matinees provide a safe and inclusive way for audiences living with dementia to visit Hyde Park Picture House.
- Screening: 8th July 2024, 2.30pm
Library events
Library Digital Drop In Sessions
- Various Libraries
Drop-in sessions where people are invited to attend with memories of the Armed Forces – these could be their own, or family members. Library staff will be on hand to show people how to add those memories to our Leodis website. You can also find out more information about how to trace your military family history using library resources.
- Various
Armed Forces Day Display
- Central Library
A selection of unique and rare treasures related to the armed forces and housed in the Central Library
- Throughout June, during usual library opening hours
Leodis Curated Gallery
- Online
A curated gallery on Leeds Libraries photographic archive (www.leodis.net), of images related to the armed forces in Leeds. Expect buildings, parades and events.
- Throughout June – online exhibition
Barnbow exhibition
- Crossgates Library
Set up during WWI by the Leeds Munitions Committee, Barnbow was a 200 acre site answering the need for shells vital to the war effort. This exhibition looks the history of Barnbow including the details of the explosion that caused the deaths of 35 women and the greatest loss of life in Leeds.
- June 1 – July 6
For King, Country and Home exhibition
- Chapel Allerton Library
For King, Country & Home explores the lives and times of Jamaican WW2 veterans of Leeds who volunteered as teenagers and young men to answer Britain’s call to defend ‘the Mother Country’.
For King, Country & Home also pays tribute to Caribbean veterans who are unidentified or little-known. Through a collection of moving portraits exchanged between the RAF men on demob after the war as mementos of their brotherhood, friendship and time serving shoulder-to-shoulder – we will remember them.
- June 1 - June 22
Reflections of War exhibition
- Armley Library and Community Hub
Reflect on Leeds’ contribution to WWI in this touring display inspired by collections held at Leeds Central Library.
- June 3 – June 29
Gascoigne Talk
- Kippax Library
Stephanie Davies, Community Curator at Lotherton Hall, will talk about Douglas Gascoigne, Operation Blue Coat in Normandy July 1944 and why this event was pivotal to Sir Alvary Gascoigne gifting Lotherton Hall to Leeds City Council.
- June 5, 5.30pm
Armed Forces Open Afternoon
- Central library
Drop-in session where the public can explore treasures from the Central Library collections, with a specific focus on military and armed forces-related material. This will include newscuttings, ephemera, photographs, memoirs, letters, and much more.
- June 12, 1.30 - 3.30
Yorkshire Battles Talk
- Armley Library
Local history talk by librarian Josh Flint, looking at the history of battles and warfare in the Yorkshire area, and based largely on collections and treasures held at Leeds Central Library.
Yorkshire has been the battleground for some of the bloodiest, treacherous and most vicious battels ever fought. The talk will discuss the importance of Yorkshire Battles from the 7th to the 20th-centuries and how they are represented in the Leeds Libraries collection.
- June 27, 2pm
Tracing Your Military Family History & Armed Forces Memories Session
- Yeadon Library
Would you like to find out more about your ancestors who served in the Armed Forces? This free workshop will introduce you to some of the resources available in the Local & Family History Library and online to help you in your research.
This is also an opportunity to share Armed Forces memories and learn how to add these to the Leodis photographic archive.
- June 28, 2-3pm
Women at War - The Barnbow Story
- Crossgates Library
Join Bob and Jacki Lawrence from East Leeds History and Archaeology Society, for this illustrated talk as part of Armed Forces Day.
They will look at the building and operation of the Number 1 shell filling factory at Barnbow in WW1 and examine the tragedies which took place there resulting in the loss of 40 employees, mainly women. Bob and Jacki also take a look at the lives of some of the victims and survivors of the three explosions.
There will also be a selection of relevant items from the collections at Leeds Central Library.
- June 4, 5-6.30pm
Leeds Armed Forces Day Briggate
Leeds,
LS1 6LH
© 2024 Leeds City Council
