Grove Road Cemetery has suffered several issues in the past three decades, such as the death of six-year-old Reuben Powell, who was killed by a falling tombstone while playing there.

The incident initiated the felling of thousands of cemetery memorials across England, which continued for several years until the panic ceased and councils were advised to use discretion regarding historical monuments and consideration of the bereaved.

On 20 June 1861 the Harrogate Improvement Commissioners discussed the matter at the Town Hall, and approved the site between the present Grove Road, and the line of the former North Eastern Railway Company.

The chapel doors faced roughly south towards the main graveyard area, with the cemetery gates on Grove Road behind the two buildings.

[7] Although the Harrogate Historical Society noted that the chapels formed an "attractive feature in the landscape",[8] they were both demolished in 1958 to create more burial space.

Harrogate Council hastened to speed up their five-year safety programme in cemeteries,[12] and it promptly "had 6,000 potentially unsafe slabs placed on the ground".

[15] The incident at Grove Road Cemetery affected many other graveyards, whose gravestones were soon lying flat in response to Coroner Cave's ruling that lessons should be learned.

However its congregation, assisted by the researches of Alastair Dinsdale, argued that the safety problem had been caused by modern limestone mortar or cement which was soon weakened by weathering.

[15] Following the Grove Road Cemetery incident, an improvement notice was served on Harrogate Council, "requiring it to accelerate its memorial testing programme".

A 2010 study by Luke Bennett and Carolyn Gibbeson suggested that some over-zealous councils, possibly spurred on by the insurance industry, had risked damaging historical artefacts and distressing the bereaved, because the monuments were left lying and were not reinstated.

[20] The names recorded on the monument are: Fred W.C. Horner, Reginald Jones, Charles V. Bell, John W. Fishburn, Percie Balme, Willie Hutchinson, Herbert Gibson, Geoffrey G. Hewson, Henry M. Partridge, C.A.

The procession from (St Robert's Catholic Church) to the cemetery was headed by the Yorkshire Hussars band playing the Dead March in Saul.

[27]In 2016, a privately owned memorial stone dedicated to First World War casualty Lieutenant Donald Simpson Bell VC (1890–1916), of the Yorkshire Regiment, was discovered in a dilapidated state, in Grove Road Cemetery, by William Thompson.

Bell was a Harrogate-born teacher, and a professional footballer for Bradford Park Avenue, who won the VC by taking out a machine gun position and killing its operators.

"A vast crowd of sympathetic people assembled along King's Road to St Luke's Church", where a "special service" took place.

"The firing party from the Yorkshire Hussars lined up in front of the north entrance to the church, and as the cortège drew up presented arms.

The Harrogate Herald described Bruce's last journey:[38] On leaving the church the clergy and surpliced choir headed the procession to the cemetery, which also included a detachment of the 11th Batt.

stationed at Harrogate, comprising Lieutenant Swann, a sergeant, corporal, and 20 men, the firing party from the Yorkshire Hussars with reversed arms, buglers from the 11th Batt.

[40] During World War I, being "shot in the back" was a synonym for cowardice (which today might be understood to be PTSD),[42] and Halliday "begged very hard not to be sent home" to Canada.

At the Canadian General Hospital he made several attempts at suicide, first with poison, and then by taking a razor from a fellow patient and cutting his own throat.

[43]: 4 The career military man, and Harrogate-born, Captain Henry Hall Jackson MC (28 October 1890 – 28 November 1918), of the 15th The King's Hussars, and later of the RAF, is buried in Grove Road Cemetery.

[46][47] Sergeant Major Robert Johnston (1833 – 28 November 1882),[nb 10] a "Balaclava hero" of the 8th KRI Hussars, was born in Dublin and took part in the Charge of the Light Brigade.

[48] After serving in the military for nearly 23 years, and receiving the Crimea Medal, Johnston retired to the Cottage Hospital in the spa town of Harrogate to improve his health.

His 2.5-ton monument, sculpted in Bolton Wood stone by Thomas Potts of Harrogate and funded by subscription, was erected in Grove Road Cemetery in December 1885.

The monument was described by the Harrogate Advertiser as follows:[48] At the base of the stone is an elaborate carving of the famous War picture after Landseer, and the manner in which this particular part of the work has been done reflects the greatest credit upon the sculptor, who has spared neither labour nor pains to give the tombstone an imposing and attractive appearance.

The top is worked in "broken ornament" pattern, and the stone is further beautified by small green granite pillars, placed on each side of the description, which reads as follows: This monument was erected by voluntary subscriptions to the memory of Sergeant Major Johnston, late of the 8th KRI Hussars, who died November 28th, 1882, aged 49 years.

He was one of the survivors of 'The gallant Six Hundred', in 'The Charge of the Light Brigade', October 25th, 1854, and served in the following engagements with his regiment: Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman, Tchernaya, Bulganak, McKenzie's Farm, Kertch, Tennakale, Kotah, Chundares, Kotahkeserai, Gwalior, Powree, Sindwhad, Koorwye, Koondrye, and Boordah.

[51] Lance Corporal John Hector Neil Macmillan (29 December 1891 – 12 November 1915), of the Canadian Expeditionary Force,[52][nb 13] is buried in Grove Road Cemetery.

[58] Shoeing Smith John Stott (c. 1887 – 12 June 1917), of the Army Service Corps (ASC),[59][nb 16] lived at 38 Birch Grove, Harrogate, and had a wife and four children.