Borough set to mark VE Day 80th anniversary
The 80th anniversary of VE day is being marked through a host of commemorative events in Newcastle-under-Lyme next week.
Taking place on Thursday 8 May, a VE Day 80 service will be held at St. Giles' Church in Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre at 8pm. Following the service the congregation will walk through to Queens Gardens where a beacon will be lit.
People are being invited to a range of events at the Brampton Museum on VE Day itself and throughout the next week.
On 8 May, an interactive reminiscence session will enable people to share experiences, recall treasured memories and spark lively discussion. Reminisce: Recall and Relive will be led by Kath Reynolds and include multi-sensory experiences to evoke memories and give participants a chance to bond while recalling common experiences. It takes place at 10.30am.
A talk and book signing: Unsung Heroes of Wartime Stoke, The Amazing Johnny G, The Man Who Rebuilt Faces, takes place on Saturday 10 May from 2pm to 3.15pm with Ros Unwin and Jane Pugh. They will tell the story of World War Two pilots who’d been trapped in burning planes and soldiers with severe facial injuries, who were sent to Albert Ward at the North Staffs Infirmary to receive the most advanced treatments of the day.
Two archive film showings will also be held by local film archivist and documentary film maker Ray Johnson. The first is on Sunday May 11 at 3pm, detailing Reginald Mitchell, the famed inventor of the Spitfire aeroplane, was born near Kidsgrove. Then on Thursday May 15 at 2.30pm, the featured film will feature footage of the 1945 celebrations in Newcastle and North Staffordshire.
Meanwhile a free exhibition, Victory from Home: How we Helped Win the War, runs at the museum until16 September.
People can find out more by visiting the Brampton Museum website, e-mailing bramptonmuseum@newcastle-staffs.gov.uk or contacting 01782 619705.
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council leader Simon Tagg said: “While every VE Day anniversary is special, this year is particularly significant as it marks 80 years since the end of the Second World War in Europe. In Newcastle-under-Lyme, we will join the rest of the nation in remembering the sacrifices made and bravery of our services personnel and residents at that time. We will mark the occasion through the service at St. Giles' Church and beacon lighting, and with a host of events and activities at the Brampton Museum. Through these events people will be able to discover so much about their local area and those who contributed to the war effort and lived through what were incredibly challenging times. And we know residents across the borough will be marking the occasion in their own way too.”