King’s Community Commemorates VE Day

On the 80^th anniversary of VE Day, staff and pupils have honoured the OVs and Hon OVs who fought in WWII; supporting the war effort and sacrificing their today for our tomorrow.

Our current CCF Cadets constructed a Garden of Reflection on our campus, as a quiet space for remembrance, peace and gratitude.

Elsewhere, pupils across the school have been learning more about what VE day means during their form time, as well as in Assembly.

We are proud to house a WWII Memorial in College Hall, to ensure we continue to remember those OVs who gave their lives during the war. The fact that these OVs are buried or commemorated in an astonishing 17 different countries only serves to remind us of the global nature of the conflict.

Reflecting on VE Day, OV Tim Richardson (Ca 40-49), vividly remembers being given the afternoon off school and permission to go up the High Street and join the celebrations for Victory in Europe!

King’s Lt P Harding, who has a keen interest in local history, described how VE was marked in Worcester, writing:

“Revellers spilled into the streets from pubs and houses, danced on the High Street, the Cross and outside the Guildhall. Church bells rang out in jubilation, and many took to boats on the river.”

“As darkness fell, fireworks were set off at the Guildhall and bonfires lit. At 22.30 hrs, streetlights and floodlights on the Cathedral and Guildhall were switched on for the first time in years. This produced further cheering and singing.”

“However, many families mourned loved ones and prayed the war in the Far East would end soon too. After all the 2nd and the 7th Battalions of the Worcestershire Regiment were still fighting the Japanese, horrific diseases and the harsh environment of Burma.”