OLD SERVICEMEN from Keighley shared a table with the Deputy Lord Mayor of Bradford as she hosted a lunch for the district’s veterans.

Around 60 veterans attended the civic luncheon at City Hall last Friday as part of a week of Armed Forces Day celebrations.

The Deputy Lord Mayor, Keighley East ward councillor Doreen Lee, said she was delighted to head the event in the banqueting hall.

She said: “The event is held every year and it’s a lovely day, celebrating the past and present. They have a royal toast, and toast those who have died.

“It’s the city’s way of saying thank you to the veterans. They all loved it, they say that it’s one of the best days they have in the year.

“There were medals galore and it was lovely to see. I was extremely honoured to be there and quite humbled.

“I said that the chain round my neck was worth something, but it was nowhere near as valuable as the medals on show and what they represented.

“I said that warfare had changed nowadays, and we remembered the Manchester and London attacks.”

Cllr Lee said that alongside the older veterans were serving soldiers and officers from the Yorkshire Regiment.

Veterans at Cllr Lee’s table included Edgar Bottomley and Terry Nolan, both from the Keighley area.

In 1985, Mr Bottomley was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to community and industry, having worked as an engineer in Keighley.

Mr Bottomley was accompanied to the civic lunch by his wife Kathleen. The pair married the year after the war finished, in June 1946.

In 2014 Mr Bottomley took along his medals to Allerton Primary School in Bradford for the children to see, and he spoke about his experiences.

Cllr Simon Cooke, who represents Bingley Rural ward on Bradford Council, said it was always a pleasure to spend time with the veterans.

He added: “I sat at a table with the people from the Navy this year. I was talking to three guys who were submariners. It was really interesting.”

Mr Bottomley, who is in his 90s, served in the Royal Navy during the war, having joined up at the age of 19.

Organisers of the Keighley Armed Forces Day, held on June 18, have more than a dozen prizes unclaimed from their raffle. Call 07972 727269 to check the winning numbers. All are green, with the security codes A786 or Af4n.