|
| Events
in Staffordshire
commemorating
& celebrating the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War |
Other
useful websites: Imperial War Museum, Their
Past Your Future, British Legion
, MoD 60th Anniversary website and Veterans'
Agency's national
calendar of events
See also our People's
War Pages
4th September
Tea Dance at
Kings Hall, Stoke. Info: 01782 235522
14th
September
Battle of Britain Day - see our Spitfire
article
17th September 2005 to 22nd January 2006
"The
Potteries at War" at The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, City Centre,
Stoke on Trent - the exhibition will record the memories and personal items form
local people who lived throughout the war
22nd September
Annual Spitfire Fundraising Event at The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery,
City Centre, Stoke on Trent. See
our Spitfire
article
4th-11th
October
Stafford Film Festival - which this year has a WWII theme (with special
street party during the festival), and features a film looking at wartime Stafford,
being made to celebrate the 60th anniversary of World War 2 ending.
The film
festival’s programme includes films with a WWII theme such as Casablanca, A Very
Long Engagement and Downfall. Contact Culturegen on 01785 619727
Friday
11th November
Armistice Day at the National Memorial Arboretum,
Alrewas, Staffs. A formal service will start the day at 11.00 a.m. incorporating
a two minutes silence to remember those who lost their lives for our freedom (120
invited guests for chapel). A PA and a screen will be built so that more people
can be part of the event outside. 60 white doves will be released, which will
start a parade of standards and marching bands. Open invitation.
************************************************
Events which have
already happened...
May
7th
VE (Victory in Europe) Commemoration Day at Crewe Town
Centre featuring ex-Services marching, Service Cadets, Memorabilia Stalls, Evacuees
and lots more. See details
Sunday 8th May
British Legion Remembrance Service
at the Cenotaph in St Peters Square Wolverhampton, from 11.30-12
Sunday
8th May
Children's Memorial Day & Memorial Service led by the
Dunkirk veterans, at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffs.
Dunkirk
sand, bought specially over from the beaches at Dunkirk , will be dedicated at
the Dunkirk memorial.
A Mad Hatter's Party is on for the children
between 1-4p.m. A light hearted celebration party, with an audience of school
children from local schools aged 5-11 years and their parents and grandparents.
Veterans and older members of the local community will also be part of the celebration
of Victory in Europe. Children will be given brown paper bags filled with jam
sandwiches, crisps and cake, with white rabbit, fairground rides of teacups and
saucers, helter skelter and period rides. Tables and table clothes, bunting, and
party hats all under the cover of a large marquee. Party food, with sandwiches,
fruit cake, jelly and biscuits. Glen Miller style entertainment from Netherstow
School. Face painter, Punch and Judy shows.
If anyone wants to attend please
call the
Arboretum
Sunday 8th May
Victory in Europe (VE) Day
- 60th Anniversary Celebration at Drayton
Manor, Tamworth
Friday,
Saturday , Sunday & Monday, 6th-9th May
Flower Festival & Exhibition
to celebrate 60th Anniversary of VE Day at St Mary's Church, Knutton, Newcastle
(Friday from 2pm-8pm, Saturday & Sunday 10am-6pm, Monday 10am-8pm) Free admission.
Events include free concert @ 7.30pm on Saturday evening, a special service on
Sunday @ 6.30pm with the Bishop of Lichfield, and a Spitfire flyover on Sunday.
Contact: Anne Allen - 01782
632639
10th May
Reminiscence Day marking the
conclusion of Newcastle district libraries' contribution to the BBC archive project"The
People's War". At Clayton Library, Dartmouth Avenue, Clayton. Newcastle. Times:
10.00am-3.00pm. Contact: Clayton Library on 01782 616074.
This is the last
opportunity for local people to record their war memories for posterity in the
BBC's archive, "The People's War". Library staff will be available to offer assistance
and refreshments. Admission is Free. A war memorabilia display will also be on
show for the last time in the Newcastle area.
Sunday
15th May
Polish Memorial Service There will be a service to remember
the victims of the Katyn Massacre, which occurred in 1940, when 4000 were executed
by firing squads, and for the 10,000 members of the Polish armed forces and intelligensia
who "went missing" around that date. The executions were carried out by the Soviet
Secret Police, on the direct orders of Josef Stalin. No person or persona have
ever been tried or convicted for this genocide.
The service will be held
at SPRINGSLADE, Cannock Chase, at the memorial erected to remember this dreadful
crime. Time of service 1pm. Parade will assemble at 12.30pm. Standards from all
organisations requested to attend. Refreshments after the service at Polish Catholic
Centre, Stafford Road, Oxley, Wolverhampton. All enquiriies to M Kisiel, 01902
339834
On until 22nd May
Home Front Heroes To
coincide with the anniversary of the end of World War Two, Newcastle-under-Lyme
Museum are holding a commemorative exhibition. See details
June 25th
National Service Day Event "Reluctant Heroes" - many ex-Staffords
are gathering for the day at the Staffordshire
Regiment Museum. The Staffords' most memorable war years were 1943-4 so, in
their Tercentenary Year, they have decided to look at this band of unsung heroes
instead. See website: www.army.mod.uk/staffords
Saturday 25th June
Anniversay Events at Longton
High School, SoT. Events include: tea dance, officers from Grenadier Guards &
Stafford Brigade, & Military Vehicle display.
2nd July
VE / VJ Day Celebrations at Crosville Club, Chester
St, Crewe. Info: 01270 257092
2nd / 3rd July
1940's 'Potteries
at War' at Foxfield
Steam Railway SoT with re-enactment battles, pyrotechnics, civilians and soldiers
of yesteryear, war encampment, air-raids, trade stalls, model aircraft display
and 1940s fashion show (fashion show Saturday only) troop carrying vehicle, 1940's
war museum display plus much more!....
Sunday 3rd July
300 Years of The Staffordshire Regiment
in
Tamworth Castle Pleasure Grounds. The 'Birmingham Pals' plus military and civilian
re-enactments, with weapons including the Bren gun, military vehicles, officers
mess tent and Para's on patrol. Info: www.tamworth.gov.uk
9th July
Celebration Parade at RAF Hednesford, plus Charity Football Match vs Wolves.
Info: Tom Hobbins 01543 464495
July 9th
Neptune Association Reunion at the National
Memorial Arboretum
in Alrewas, with ceremonial service and exhibition. A permanent
memorial has been erected ehre to those who were killed in one of the worst naval
disasters of the Second World War. HMS Neptune and HMS Kandahar hit mines and
sank off the Libyan coast on December 19th 1941, with a loss of 836 men - it was
also the single largest loss of life of New Zealand and South African nationals,
who were part of the ship's crew.
9th
and 10th July
VE/VJ Commemorative Events at The Potteries Museum
& Art Gallery, City Centre, Stoke on Trent. The Museum will be in full battle
dress during the weekend complete with military vehicles, a machine gun nest and
British and American soldiers from North Staffs Military Vehicle Trust who will
be setting up on guard duty outside the Museum. Events will also be taking place
in the Museum’s Spitfire gallery over the weekend plus a Victory Trail for children.
July 10th
(.....Why July 10th?? As it was
decided that there should be a single National Commemoration Day, Sunday 10 July
2005, midway between the VE and VJ Day anniversaries, was
chosen. That's why!...)
July 10th
Veterans
Tribute Day & National Day of Commemoration National Victory Day at the
National Memorial Arboretum
in Alrewas, Staffordshire, with a service synchronised with one at Westminster
Abbey. From 10.30 a.m. - 5.30 p.m.
A crowd of up to 5,000 is expected to to
attend the event as it is the only one outside of London to be given national
status. There will also be a symbolic ceremony with the liberation of 60 white
doves on the day - one for each year of freedom since WWII. The afternoon will
finish with a 1940's sing along show starring singers Maggie o' Hara & baritone
John Dale.
The event takes place at the same time as the one in London
at noon. Broadcast live by the BBC, the Horse Guards Parade is the main event
nationally.
14th July
Reminiscence Session at Lichfield Library.
Info: 01543 510708
16/17th July
Wrenbury
Village & British Legion Celebrations The nation is celebrating on the
10th but Wrenbury (near Nantwich) is one week later.
See then a two-day exhibition
of pictures, posters, poems, cuttings, artefacts and articles in the Church Rooms.
On Sunday morning there will also be a special commemorative service in church.
August
13th
Victory in Japan (VJ) Day - 60th Anniversary Celebration
at Drayton
Manor, Tamworth, with
a fly-past from a Spitfire WW2 fighter plane, plus concerts.
See details
Monday 15th August - VJ
Day
FEPOW Event for VJ day at the National Memorial
Arboretum,
Alrewas, Staffs. This year will see the FEPOW (Far East Prisoners of War) association
disband and hand over to COFEPOW (Children of Far East Prisoners of War) its role
of passing on memories and information of what happened to the prisoners. COFEPOW
are opening the FEPOW Memorial Building on this day - which is both an educational
and informative exhibition for future generations to learn from.
Memorial
services at 12.15 and 1.15
21st August
VJ
Day Celebrations At
their own request, the Burma Star Association has agreed today as their commemoration
day. Wreath laying Ceremonies will mark the day.
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