Latest news with #VictoryoverJapanDay
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cumbria's Museum of Military Life hosts fourth annual military festival
Cumbria's Museum of Military Life hosted its annual multi-period encampment last weekend. The Carlisle Castle event, on May 31 and June 1, showcased military history, from Norman knights to the modern army. Visitors explored tents, equipment, and demonstrations, with medieval combat displays and Home Guard rifle drills bringing history to life. Home Guard re-enactors from the Victory in Europe Re-enactment Group (VERA) (Image: Cumbria's Museum of Military Life) Rachel Brodie, learning and events co-ordinator at the museum, said: "The re-enactors certainly bring the castle to life and provide visitors with a real insight into army life through the ages. "The range of activities and demonstrations on offer provides something for everyone. "It is great to see people having a good day out." Re-enactors cooking, Norman style (Image: Cumbria's Museum of Military Life) The Parade Square featured military vehicles, including the museum's Armoured Scout Car, while children enjoyed activities in the popular KidsZone. Ryan Aitken, a re-enactor, said: "This is the 80th anniversary year of Victory over Japan Day. "Our display with a Far East theme enables us to discuss the Border Regiment's part in Burma and people are really interested in the soldier's kit and equipment. "We love being part of this event." Members of the Second World War Combined Forces Living History Group (Image: Cumbria's Museum of Military Life) The event was supported by the Solway Aviation Museum and the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, with veterans from the Regimental Association and Royal British Legion also in attendance. As part of commemorations for the 80th anniversary of VE and VJ Day, the museum is currently displaying items from its Second World War collections. A new temporary exhibition, Gretna 110: The Quintinshill Rail Disaster of 1915, opened on Saturday morning, and is currently on loan from the Royal Scots Museum in Edinburgh. Plans are now underway for the fifth Military Festival in 2026.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Relying on teamwork, Naval Academy plebes conquer a 75-year tradition
May 14 (UPI) -- A lard-covered obelisk is more than a slippery slope for U.S. Naval Academy plebes, who view it as a rite of passage that changes them into midshipmen. Dozens of freshmen who are called "plebes" were tasked with climbing the 21-foot-tall Herndon Monument on Wednesday, with the mission being to replace a cap placed on top to mark the end of their first year at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. They accomplished the feat in 2 hours, 27 minutes and 31 seconds by using the kind of teamwork that is required to effectively operate vessels on the high seas like the U.S. Navy has done for almost 250 years, and as it today carries out missions on land and in the air, as well. The annual climb is a 75-year tradition that started in 1950 and scales the monument to Commander William Lewis Herndon, who went down with his ship when a hurricane sank it in 1857. The climb requires Naval Academy plebes to scale the obelisk after it has been covered with 200 pounds of lard, remove a "Dixie cup" placed on top and replace it with the hat of an upperclassman. The Dixie cup is not a reference to the paper cup that often is used at water dispensers. Instead, it is a reference to the "low-rolled brim, high-domed item constructed of canvas" cap that was created in 1886 and has represented the U.S. Navy throughout the 20th century and beyond. The Dixie cup cap is featured in the iconic photo of a sailor kissing a nurse in New York City's Times Square on Victory over Japan Day in 1945. It also was featured in many classic films and was worn by the S.S. Minnow's first mate Gilligan on television's "Gilligan's Island." Members of the Naval Academy's class of 2028 successfully undertook the task of replacing the Dixie Cup with the upperclassman's hat. The 2028 class has about 1,187 plebes, who now are referred to as "midshipmen" upon their completion of the annual rite of passage.
Sky News
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Farage says Zelenskyy is not a dictator and Trump 'should not be taken literally'
Nigel Farage has said Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not a dictator and everything Donald Trump says should be taken "truthfully not literally". The Reform UK leader, who counts the US president as a close friend, also said he did not think Ukraine started the war with Russia and claimed Mr Trump was talking about "causal factors" when he suggested as such. Mr Trump has called Mr Zelenskyy a "dictator without elections" and told him "you should have never started it [the conflict]", after the Ukrainian president complained of being left out of peace talks between Washington and Moscow. Asked by Sky News' US correspondent James Matthews if he thinks Mr Zelenskyy is a dictator, Mr Farage said: "No don't be ridiculous." He added: "If that's what he [Donald Trump] thinks, that's what he thinks. Take everything Trump says truthfully, but not literally." The Clacton MP went on to claim Mr Trump "doesn't literally say Ukraine started the war" and is focused on bringing peace. It was put to him that he did say that, and Mr Farage said: "Okay, he did. If you're happy." He added: "Putin started the war. We all know that. What he's talking about are the causal factors that go back for years." Asked why we should not take Mr Trump at his word, given he has done everything he said he would upon taking office, Mr Farage said: "Look, he promised a negotiation. He promised he'd talk to Putin. And he is. This is progress. "We may not at the moment like how it looks, but we haven't seen the final shape of the deal." Mr Farage was speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland, after being criticised for being silent on Mr Trump's attacks on the Ukrainian president over the past two days. Other party leaders have strongly backed the Mr Zelenskyy, with Sir Keir Starmer phoning him to voice his support, telling him it was "perfectly reasonable" for Ukraine to "suspend elections during wartime as the UK did during World War Two". 1:28 Mr Farage told GB News earlier on Thursday he did not think Mr Zelenskyy is a dictator but called on him to set out a timeline for an election. The Reform leader argued the UK had an election during the Second World War, in 1945, so Ukraine could also do so. The war had come to an end in Europe in May 1945 and Winston Churchill reluctantly called an election two weeks later - after 10 years without a vote - due to pressure from his Labour coalition partners. However, Allied troops were still fighting in the Pacific, with VJ Day (Victory over Japan Day) not taking place until August that year. Mr Farage said he had previously not made a comment on Mr Trump's attack because he had been flying to the US and it had then been nighttime. He also called the UK and Europe "irrelevant" in peace talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, and said he would "suggest Europe and the UK government pay very serious attention to Donald Trump". 3:17 US and Russian officials have been in Saudi Arabia this week to discuss a possible peace deal, but neither Ukraine or any European representatives were there. This sparked an emergency meeting of European leaders in France earlier this week. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey accused Mr Farage of sounding "like a spokesman for Trump". He posted on X: "So Nigel Farage has chosen to explain away Trump's outrageous remarks about President Zelensky instead of doing the right thing and condemning them. Deeply disappointing but not at all surprising. "He sounds like a spokesman for Trump. He certainly doesn't speak for Britain." Conservative shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge also called out Mr Farage's comments. He wrote on X: "Why does Farage think Ukraine should have a 'timetable' for elections? They're not going through local govt reform - they're in an existential war & don't know when it will end. And does he think Putin should have a timetable for free & fair elections? He actually is a dictator."
BBC News
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Street parties recreated for Staffordshire WW2 events programme
Events at the National Memorial Arboretum set out to recreate the spirit of street parties as they were in May is part of a programme of events and activities at the Staffordshire place of remembrance called The Year Was 1945 - to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War programme will focus on Victory in Europe Day (VE) on 8 May and Victory over Japan Day (VJ) on 15 August."At the Arboretum this year, 'The Year Was 1945…' will take visitors on a journey back to that seismic period, sharing real stories from those who lived through these historic moments," said Mark Ellis of the arboretum. "Our programme of events will offer opportunities to reflect, learn, and commemorate these significant anniversaries."The street party celebrations will include live music, period entertainment and themed activities, and will be held from 3 to 5 the year there will also be themed guided walks and talks which will tell stories of people involved in exhibitions will be inside the site's remembrance centre, including personal letters, photographs and stories from veterans and there will be Acts of Remembrance to honour the service of those who fought in the war."Life in Britain in 1945 was a time of both celebration and challenge," said Mr Ellis. "The nation rejoiced as VE Day signified the end of the war in Europe, subsequently followed by the relief of VJ Day in August, bringing six years of global conflict to a close. Yet, for many, the hardship was far from over. Communities continued to grapple with rationing, the return of loved ones from military service, and the enormous task of rebuilding their lives and cities." Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
