Latest news with #WarTwo
BBC News
01-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
RAF pilot says flying over Buckingham Palace on VE day 'humbling'
Taking part in a flypast over Buckingham Palace to celebrate 80 years since the end of World War Two in Europe is "incredibly humbling", RAF service people have part of the four-day celebrations, on Monday a military procession in central London will be followed by a flypast of current and historical military the planes featured in the event will be an A400M flown by Flt Lt Mike Chandler, who is based at RAF Brize Norton in pilot, who has taken part in three previous flypasts, said there was a "lot to consider" during the operation. "When you're doing 310mph over the ground at low level with other aircraft, our minds are working pretty fast at that point," he said. Flt Lt Chandler is a member of 99 Squadron, which is led by Wing Cdr Nicola Lofthouse."There's an incredible amount of planning, no only for the flypast, but also for all of the possible contingencies that happen as well," she "complex" flypast will see aircrafts start their journey to London from the North Sea, with each plane aiming to be overhead Buckingham Palace "within plus or minus five seconds", Wing Cdr Lofthouse War Two veteran and centenarian Denis Bishop visited the crew at Brize Norton ahead of Monday's flypast, sharing his memories of VE Day, which he spent serving in said he and his fellow servicemen "managed to get some beer" and "had a drink", before visiting a local church where he "thanked the Lord" that the war was over. During the war, 99 Squadron had been the first RAF unit to convert to Wellington Bombers, and carried out bombing raids throughout the Sgt Harry Jarvis said the squadron's history would be "at the forefront of our minds" as he and his colleagues flew over Buckingham Palace."It's got a very rich history - it's something you think about every time you fly the aircraft and go and operate worldwide on tasks," he said. Flt Lt Chandler said: "We'll never be able to sit in their seats, but hopefully this [the flypast] marks the occasion appropriately." He said it was "incredibly humbling" to take part in the "amazing event"."It's an absolute privilege for us to just display a little part of our recognition by doing this flypast to remember everything they went through and the huge sacrifice they made," he in Europe Day on 8 May, known as VE Day, marks the day the Allies formally accepted Germany's surrender in 1945 - bringing an end to the near-six-year VE Day events, marking the 75th anniversary, were disrupted by the Covid pandemic. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Bromyard party in the park to end due to lack of volunteers
A community event that has ran for the past seven years will be held for a final time due to a lack of Party in the Park, hosted at Kempson playing fields in Herefordshire, started in 2018 to raise funds for the fields and provide a fun day for families. The event on 3 and 4 May will fill the park with music, street food vendors and a funfair, along with a darts tournament on Saturday said on Facebook that the final event would be a "happy day but a sad ending". "From humble beginnings we brought the community together and raised thousands for the Kempson Playing fields," they War Two RAF veteran Hugh Langrishe will open the event as it celebrates 80 years of Victory in Europe (VE) Day. Music will continue until about 23:00 BST on the weekend, featuring local artists including Remi Harris, Darren Beale and Nikki Ivison. Entry will be free but donations will be welcomed to help upgrade the fields. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
18-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Durham ice rink mural plan to rediscover lost history
A long-demolished ice rink, once home to one of the UKs most successful hockey teams, could be commemorated with a Lewis Hobson has been rediscovering the history of Durham Ice Rink, which closed in 1996, ahead of creating an artwork for the site on The Sands, where the passport office is now located, was home to the Durham Wasps and the centre of a thriving community hub. Mr Hobson, from Durham, has been collecting artefacts and memorabilia which are being exhibited along with an example mural celebrating the old rink. The artist said he grew up with stories about the importance of the rink and was inspired to find out what its closure meant to people in the city."I was really interested in what this loss means for the community and what has replaced it, if anything has replaced it," he over a year he has been collecting stories about the site and different objects marking people's experiences the accumulated memorabilia are knitted gloves, jumpers, hand-made banners and a handkerchief with the names of Wasps players from the memories and artefacts will inspire a final mural planned for later this year, with a documentary also under way. The ice rink opened in 1940, the vision of local ice seller John 'Icy' War Two brought Canadian pilots to the area, including a handful of National Hockey League professionals, and they formed a services hockey league."This is what really kick started ice hockey in Durham," Mr Hobson, 31, Wasps were founded by an Canadian airman, Michael Davey, and local men in 1946, but it was in the late 1980s and early 1990s that they became hugely successful. "They were like the Manchester United of British Ice Hockey at the time," the Durham artist said."But the rink closed and we haven't had a replacement, so the history was lost." The end of ice hockey in Durham came when the Wasps were bought by the then Newcastle United Sir John Hall, in 1995, who wanted to move the team north. "This meant the team and the community were split. Half went to Newcastle and half stayed in Durham," Mr Hobson rink was closed in 1996 and the building demolished in 2013. Mr Hobson has painted an artwork inside the Place Lab pop-up at the Prince Bishops shopping centre and is consulting with the community to find the "perfect" final design."Because so many people visited the ice rink and so many people really loved it and miss it, my hope is that someone who has a really nice wall also wants a mural," Mr Hobson his exhibition, called Blank Slate, runs until 27 April and also shines a light on Durham's ice skating and street skating Clark, head of culture, sport and tourism at Durham County Council, said the local authority was "in discussion" with Lewis about creating the is hoped the artwork will be painted in the city centre by the end of the year."This history is really important," Mr Hobson said."A mural is the final thing to say this history has been rediscovered." Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
