LEICESTER people marked the end of the Second World War with a conga round the Clock Tower – and now plans are taking shape to commemorate the 80th anniversaries of VE Day and VJ Day in style.
Vintage music, bunting and bell-ringing will mark both anniversaries, which take place on Thursday 8 May for VE Day and Friday 15 August for VJ Day. The city council will also support community celebrations by enabling free road closures and providing traffic signs for anyone who wants to close a road for a street party.
Town Hall Square will be a focal point on both days, with bunting, flags, floral tributes and a commemorative book available where people can record their personal thanks to the men and women who served in the war. Vera Lynn’s wartime classic ‘We’ll Meet Again’ and other well-known tunes from the 1940s will fill the square.
Leicester Cathedral will mark both anniversaries with commemorative evening services, which will be open to the public and attended by the Lord Mayor, the Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire, and other civic dignitaries. Bell-ringing will follow the services.
Leicester’s libraries and museums will also be getting involved by showcasing resources, memories and objects relating to the 1940s wartime era and celebrations of peace. In May, Leicester Museum & Art Gallery will feature works by Charles Ginner, an official war artist who specialised in painting harbour scenes and bombed buildings in London. And in August, the hugely popular Popping to the Shops exhibition will feature as its ‘object of the month’ an extremely rare poster for a VJ concert in November 1945, delayed on purpose so that servicemen returning from the Far East could attend.
Assistant city mayor for leisure and culture, Cllr Vi Dempster, said: “The last significant anniversaries for VE Day and VJ Day – 75 years, in 2020 – occurred when the country was in the grip of the covid pandemic. As a result, commemorations had to take place virtually and online.
“That’s why it’s even more special that this year, we are able to commemorate these important milestones by bringing the spirit of VE Day and VJ Day into the city centre.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to those who served in the Second World War and took part in the war effort. Our commemorations will encompass services to pay our respects, fascinating insights into wartime social history and the chance to say thank you in a commemorative book. We’ll also help anyone who wants to close a road for a street party, and we’d encourage anyone who wants to do this to apply soon, through the council website.”
To arrange a street party, fill in a simple online form as soon as possible to tell the city council where and when you plan to hold the event. Organising small, private street parties and fetes is very simple and generally there is no charge to pay. Selling alcohol or providing certain types of entertainment will require a temporary event notice, but this costs just £21. The council can support with road closures and providing signs.
Lots more information and advice can be found on the gov.uk website.
The Story of Leicester website will also soon be launching a new webpage for the 80th anniversaries, and a new digital walking tour will be available soon to showcase Leicester’s heritage panels and memorials relating to the Second World War.
To find out more about Leicester’s plans for VE Day and VJ Day, visit https://www.visitleicester.info/whats-on/ve-day-and-vj-day-in-leicester-p1018771
Information about street parties and an application form are available at: www.leicester.gov.uk/highway
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Image: Leicester Mercury