Derwent Valley Light Railway is set to honour a York Normandy veteran in a very special way this week.
The railway at Murton Park is holding its 23rd Annual Running Evening on Friday (25 July), and will be launching its War Department Diesel Locomotive No. 37 into traffic to haul its first passenger train.
The locomotive was built in 1941 and served in Egypt during and after the Second World War – and has been named after the late York Normandy veteran Ken Smith, who also served in Egypt and Palestine after the war.
At the event this Friday, the DVLR will be holding a short ceremony for Ken. A wreath to the memory of Ken and the Palestine Veterans will be placed by the last member of York Normandy Veterans, Ken Cooke, and Ken Smith’s widow, Gloria.
Brought up in Leeds, Ken Smith was 19 and one of 156,000 Allied troops that stormed the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944 for the D-Day offensive that marked the beginning of the end of the Second World War.
He campaigned tirelessly to educate younger generations about what happened and the tragedy of war.
There will also be a cavalcade of locomotives in action, with passenger trains all subject to availability on the day.
Admission to the event is £15, and includes light refreshments and unlimited travel.
