VE Day Service 2020 Radio Broadcast

Fri 8 May 2020

Cambridge Radio 105

The Coronavirus epidemic has put great strain on all our national life, as everyone in the City knows well.

It has brought the cancellation of key public events such as Trooping the Colour and even the Olympic Games. Another cancellation has been the national network of events planned to commemorate VE Day: the seventy-fifth anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe, which falls this Friday, 8 May.

Cambridge Royal British Legion has once again teamed up with King's College choir to produce an hour-long service which will be broadcast on Cambridge 105 Radio, HCR104fm and Biggles FM at 3pm: the same time that Winston Churchill made his famous speech to the British people from the balcony of the (then) Ministry of Health.

The programme features hymns and other music from King's, including the reflective anthem "My Soul, there is a country", by Sir Hubert Parry which was composed during the stark events of the First World War.

It also features lessons read by the Mayor of Heidelberg - our twin city - and by the Mayor of Cambridge, Councillor Gerri Bird. The service is conducted by Rev. Dr. Dr. Jonathan Knight, Chairman and Padre of Cambridge Royal British Legion.

The service culminates in an Act of Remembrance with the Last Post and it ends with the Sunset Ceremony played by the band of the Irish Guards.

This is a fitting way to remember the events of seventy-five years ago given that all public worship is currently cancelled. It can be accessed digitally via the Cambridge 105 website. The service is designed for virtual audience participation and it will appeal to a wide variety of people. It includes a frank acknowledgement that war is most often the lesser of two evils and a pledge to a better future in company with our friends in Heidelberg.

Cost: Free