Remembering the war
A number of events took place in St Edmundsbury in 2005 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War Two.
Sunday 8 May 2005
Veterans from across the borough, their families and local residents joined in the 60th anniversary celebrations of Victory in Europe (VE) Day in Haverhill on Sunday 8 May. A number of events in the town centre took place including a veterans parade, rededication of the Haverhill War Memorial as well as the Haverhill Silver Band, VE day exhibitions and wartime vehicles on the Market Square.
Just as VE day was celebrated by the young and old in 1945, St Edmundsbury invited everyone to come and take part in the events on 8 May, by coming along to watch the parade, rededication service and later on to enjoy the entertainment on the Market Square.
The celebrations started at 2pm with a military band leading a procession of civic dignitaries, veterans, military jeeps, troop units, air and sea cadets from the Arts Centre to the cemetery off Withersfield Road for a public service led by the Reverend Edmund Betts for the rededication of the War Memorial.
St Edmundsbury Borough Council spent £20,000 refurbishing the memorial which contains over 150 names of those who died in the first and second World Wars. All of these names are now engraved into the stone plaques, made from granite, which until now had been painted or inscribed into the monument and have faded over time. In 2005 Veterans, the Mayor of St Edmundsbury and the Mayor of Haverhill with other civic dignitaries and invited guests laid wreaths at the monument before parading back through town to take part in a service at St Mary’s Church.
Got some memories you’d like to share with us? Please send them to:
Jenny Bradin
Borough Offices
Angel Hill
Bury St Edmunds
Suffolk IP33 1XB
Phone: 01284 757135
Email: jenny.bradin@stedsbc.gov.uk
View the full programme for the day
Sunday 10 July 2005
Throughout the world in 2005, people were commemorating 60 years since the end of World War Two. Suffolk, along with the rest of the country, marked the anniversary on Sunday 10 July 2005. This was a ‘Thanks for our Future’ event in Bury St Edmunds town centre - the largest single event in Suffolk and the main regional focus for the commemoration.
The event started with an afternoon parade by armed forces to St Edmundsbury Cathedral, including a parade of World War Two veterans. A service at the Cathedral was followed by a second parade and flypasts with the day rounded off with activities in the Abbey Gardens, including a hospitality area for veterans. The council worked in partnership with the Office of the Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk, the Royal British Legion, the Armed Forces, and many veterans’ organisations to create an event to remember.
Sunday 21 August 2005
To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War Two St Edmundsbury Borough Council gave the Freedom of the Borough to veterans who served in the armed forces from 1939 to 1945.
St Edmundsbury awarded the Freedom of the Borough to the Normandy veterans on the 60th anniversary of D-Day and the United States 3rd Air Force also exercised its Freedom by marching through Bury St Edmunds. The Freedom ceremony took place at Rougham Air Display on Sunday 21 August 2005.
