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WWII National Commemoration Day, Sunday July 10th

In London, the centrepiece of the anniversary commemorations and of the first Veterans Awareness Week will be held on WWII National Commemoration Day, Sunday 10th July. The key events on the day are:

The Recollections of WWII Commemoration Show will be held on Horse Guards Parade, between St James's Park and Whitehall. This has been designed to transport the audience back in time with a mix of reminiscence, reflection and entertainment.
A service of remembrance in Westminster Abbey.
HM The Queen will host a lunch for veterans in the grounds of Buckingham Palace
A flypast over Buckingham Palace will bring the day to a close. HM The Queen will watch from the balcony.

VE and VJ Day Commemorations

Separate ceremonies will be held to mark VE and VJ Days. The VE Day ceremony will take place on May 8th; The VJ Day ceremony takes place on Aug 21st.

Wartime Images projected onto Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace as never seen before

From the evening of July 3rd, until July 9th a series of wartime Images will be projected onto Buckingham Palace.

Events across the UK

Across the United Kingdom a series of events will be held to commemorate and pay tribute to those who have served. Remembrance services, street parties, exhibitions and entertainments will take place across the country. The Big Lottery fund has made 10 million pounds available to help fund commemorative activities. You can apply for a grant through the Big Lottery fund website.

For more details see the Veterans Agency website.

Veterans Awareness Week

2005 sees the inaugural Veterans Awareness Week, a national project that aims to raise awareness of veterans' issues and marks their contribution to society.

Veterans Awareness Week will be launched in St James's Park on 4th July. Throughout the week there will be:

A Veterans' Centre
A Living Museum
A Display of vintage WW2 vehicles

The Veterans Agency hosts a National Calendar designed to promote and co-ordinate the hundreds of events planned to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the first Veterans Awareness Week. To find out more about Veterans Awareness Week and to access the calendar visit the Veterans Agency website

Travelling Exhibition

The Imperial War Museum in association with the Big Lottery Fund will be taking a travelling exhibition 'Their Past, Your Future' which illustrates the impact of the Second World War to various locations around the country this year.

During February and March the Ministry of Defence hosted the exhibit at the central London Headquarters.

The Minister for Veterans', Ivor Caplin MP, said:" This important project is a celebration of the achievements of British and Commonwealth veterans and their success in defending the freedom we enjoy today. "The project combines education and commemoration in a way that helps to pass on the baton of remembrance to future generations.

Nine replica exhibitions will visit over 70 different venues across the UK, and over three million visitors are expected to tour the exhibition over the next 15 months.

A pupil from Archbishop Tenison's School, Lambeth tries on a WWII Flying Suit at the exhibition in MOD Main Building

Visit www.iwm.org.uk for more information.

Important Ticketing Information

All three of these events are ticketed and will be attended by HM the Queen. Tickets are being allocated through ex-service organisations and to the general public through the media.

However, several thousand tickets have been made available for the Horse Guards Parade event. We are particularly looking for applications from those who served on the Home Front or who are not members of formal associations.

Tickets will be issued in pairs so that veterans can come with a relation or carer to look after them during the day.

You can apply by downloading an application form (PDF 73Kb).

Further information is available from the Veterans' Agency Helpline 0800 169 2277

The National Memorial to the Women of WW2

This new monument will pay tribute to those in the services, including the brave women sent behind German lines as part of the undercover Special Operations Executive, as well as those on the home front.

HM the Queen will unveil the National Memorial to the Women of WW2 in Whitehall on July 9th. For more details on the project visit the website www.womenswarmemorial.org.

The National Memorial to the Women of WW2 in Whitehall

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