
Beacon lighting in Loughborough to mark 80th anniversary of VE Day
The 80th anniversary of the allied victory in Europe is to be marked with a special beacon lighting at a park in Leicestershire.Local organisations will be present alongside other activities to mark the VE Day anniversary at Queen's Park in Loughborough on 8 May, with gates open from 20:30 BST.The beacon will be lit at about 21:30.A small flag-raising ceremony is also being held at the offices of Charnwood Borough Council in Southfields Road from 10:00.
Dr Julie Bradshaw MBE said: "It is a great honour to be Mayor of Charnwood for a second beacon lighting, after last year's event to mark 80 years since the D-Day invasion."This year's beacon lighting will be a poignant and memorable event for residents and visitors to Queen's Park."Charnwood has a rich military history and strong Armed Forces connection and marking the anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe and to pay tribute to those who lost their lives is so important."Beacon lightings and events to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day will also be taking place in towns and villages across Charnwood and around the UK.

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Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Moment 9 WW2 heroes mark 81st anniversary of D-Day with emotional trip to Normandy
The veterans describe some of the horrific things they witnessed on D-Day THE LAST OF THE VALIANT THE LAST OF THE VALIANT Moment 9 WW2 heroes mark 81st anniversary of D-Day with emotional trip to Normandy Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FOUR World War Two heroes flew by private jet to France yesterday to mark the 81st anniversary of D-Day. They joined five other veterans who were well enough to attend a moving service at the British Normandy Memorial. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Nine veterans mark D-Day at the British Normandy Memorial Credit: Arthur Edwards / The Sun 5 Four of the World War Two heroes flew by private jet to France to mark the 81st anniversary Credit: Arthur Edwards / The Sun 5 The veterans watch a flyover at the memorial Credit: AFP Last year more than 40 heroes were there for the landmark 80th anniversary of the day Allied troops stormed Normandy's beaches to liberate Europe. Yesterday, The Sun was given exclusive access to fly with a quartet of veterans — all of them aged 99 and over — on a sleek 50-seat Embraer jet from Warton Aerodrome, Lancs. Among them were Sergeant Richard Brock, now 101, and Able Seaman Ken Benbow, who turns 100 next week. They were both at Normandy on June 6, 1944. Ken was off the north French coast on HMS Crane, and saw men die in the water all around him. Richard, a driver with the East Lancashire Regiment, came ashore with 130 comrades — only 19 returned home. He was honoured to pay tribute to the fallen yesterday. The retired master butcher, from Lancaster, said: 'When I landed on the beach just below where the Normandy Memorial stands now I was a young man of 20 who thought every day might be my last. 'I cannot believe here I am at 101. The heroes are the ones who died, some of them in terrible circumstances. "We are just their spokesmen. Hopefully we will be able to come here one more time.' Iconic RAF Red Arrows jets in danger of being replaced by Russian planes loved by Putin in move slammed as 'unthinkable' The jet was provided by BAE Systems, which employs 12,000 people in Preston. Also on board the flight to Caen Airport were former Fleet Air Arm Petty Officer George Boothby, 100, and Marjorie Hanson, 102. She, like the late Queen Elizabeth II, served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service and helped supply the D-Day landings. The nine veterans were joined by Defence Secretary John Healey for an emotional ceremony at the memorial, inscribed with the names of more than 4,000 soldiers under UK command who were killed on D-Day. Mr Healey listened in awe to the veterans' stories. He later told The Sun at the Bayeux War Cemetery: 'The lesson to draw from the Second World War is never again can we contemplate the huge human and economic cost that it inflicted. "We see that in the darkest, strongest terms in these cemeteries. 'What it says to me is that with the allies that we forged in the Second World War, we must band together and we must be strong enough to deter any adversary, any aggression that might be directed at us in the future.' 5 Among the heroes were Sergeant Richard Brock, now 101, and Marjorie Hanson, 102, who served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service Credit: Arthur Edwards / The Sun


STV News
2 hours ago
- STV News
Veterans attend services in Normandy to mark 81 years since D-Day
Second World War Veterans have gathered in Normandy to mark the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landings, ITV News Reporter Chloe Keedy is there Veterans and officials have attended memorial services in Normandy to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landings. A remembrance service was held at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, which was attended by the ever-dwindling number of surviving veterans in their late 90s and older, remembering the thousands who died that day. D-Day veteran and ambassador for the British Normandy Memorial, Ken Hay, 99, and Royal Navy D-Day veteran Henry Rice, 99, laid wreaths at the memorial. Mervyn Kersh, 100, a D-Day veteran. / Credit: ITV News Mervyn Kersh was 19 on D-Day. Eight decades on, now 100 years old, his memories of being sent ashore on Gold Beach and towards German gunfire are as vivid as ever. 'In the early hours of the morning, I could see the coastline coming – it suddenly dawned on me what was happening,' he told ITV News. In Bayeux cemetery, among nearly 5,000 graves, there were just a handful of surviving Normandy veterans at Friday's remembrance service. Switchboard operator in the Women's Naval Service during World War Two, Marie Scott. / Credit: ITV News Among them was Marie Scott, who worked as a switchboard operator in the Women's Naval Service. Aged 17, she was posted to Fort Southwick in Hampshire, where she suddenly found herself sending and receiving messages from soldiers on the beaches. 'I could hear everything. Incessant machine gun fire, bombs dropping,' she said. 'I shall never forget the day they stormed the beaches because it's imprinted on my memory.' D-Day veterans Ken Hay, 99 (second left) and Henry Rice, 99 (far right) lay wreaths at the British Normany Memorial in France. / Credit: PA Hundreds of onlookers attended the commemorations across the region, which included parachute jumps, remembrance ceremonies, parades and historical re-enactments. British veterans also attended a service on Thursday in Coleville-Montgomery and visited nearby Sword Beach, where thousands of soldiers landed eight decades ago. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth attended the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, for a service commemorating American troops. A memorial service was held at Bayeux Cathedral on Thursday. / Credit: PA On June 6, 1944, known as D-Day, Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy in Nazi-occupied France and breached Hitler's defences in Western Europe by sending the largest ever fleet of ships, troops, planes and vehicles across the English Channel. A total of 4,414 Allied troops were killed on D-Day itself. In the ensuing Battle of Normandy, 73,000 Allied forces were killed and 153,000 wounded. An estimated 20,000 French civilians also died. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country


Metro
4 hours ago
- Metro
Network of Victorian tunnels discovered under massive Surrey sinkhole
A huge network of Victorian tunnels has been discovered near a large sinkhole in a quiet Surrey village. Residents in over 30 homes in Godstone were evacuated after part of the high street collapsed overnight on February 17. Now a network of abandoned sand mines surrounding the hole, which grew to a staggering 19 metres in length. A second hole opened up days after the first. It has now been revealed that engineers have discovered a set of 150-year-old tunnels eight metres under the road. Lloyd Allen, infrastructure manager at Surrey County Council, said at a public meeting last night that engineers had discovered the old subterranean structures at the junction of the High Street and Salisbury Road during the course of investigating the huge sinkholes. He said: 'Currently, we're investigating the Victorian tunnels, plotting them to see the extent of them and where they go. 'There's a layer in areas between eight and 10 metres down under the surface where we're finding a clear indication – we've got video evidence of a tunnel that's been put there over 150 years ago.' Teams are conducting laser surveys in the tunnels to understand their extent. Any bends in the tunnels would need to be investigated further as the lasers only scan in straight lines, Mr Allen said. He added that the tunnel helped explain where the collapsed rubble from the sink hole went. 'I can tell you that the video cameras we've sent down it's been difficult to control at eight metres depth – it's a manned remote control camera. We've literally pointed it in and had a look around. But we have seen some evidence of the material that has migrated out of the collapsed hole on that section. It looks like that's where the material has gone.' Despite 'taking a bit of a hit', Mr Allen confirmed the town's fibre was still functioning and the council was working with Virgin to very gently put cables back in place. Engineers are also working on a north-south route for pedestrians, which should open over the next 'few weeks', he said. However, some residents complained that the council had taken months to discover what they already knew about the village's history of mine tunnels. According to the website Godstone Village, sandstone was quarried under the North Down's from the 17th century. The industry ceased in 1900 when bricks and other more durable types of stone became more commonly used to construct homes. In the early 20th century, the land was then used to grow mushrooms. During the Second World War, plans were submitted to make use of the passages as underground shelters to be connected via four exits to a proposed evacuation camp. An article in the Daily Telegraph in 1939 said that Home Office officials were seriously considering the scheme to use the caves, which would provide protection ' against the heaviest bombs known'. One local wrote on Facebook: 'It's common knowledge & everyone told them, but they chose to ignore it.' 'So it has taken the navel-gazing bellends from the council 5 months to confirm what anyone who knows anything about Godstone already knew. Outstanding' , commented another. The sinkhole has also effect the supply of water to homes, while those forced to relocate faced uncertainty on their bills. Evacuated residents will receive £100 in compensation and have their standing charges waived for the whole year, SES water confirmed. Claire Coutinho, the MP for East Surrey, said it had been an 'anxious' time for residents. She said: 'We do know, during this time, there are so many other challenges that people are facing. Parking, speeding because you've got traffic coming off the motorway. Lots of people worried about their personal finances, people who want to sell, move home and really take control of their lives.' More Trending She added: 'The quicker that we can get answers for people and get the work done, the better.' Surrey County Council said at a public meeting last night that it hoped to have repair works fully complete by December. A spokesperson for the local authority told the Metro: 'We hope to have the road re-opened during December this year, but our focus will be on ensuring the road is safe to use so the exact date will be confirmed once we are fully assured of this.' The Metro has contacted Historic England for comment. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page.