Event Details
- Location: Newcastle Cathedral
- Address: St Nicholas Square, Newcastle, NE1 1PF
- Start date: 08th May 2025
- End date: 08th May 2025
- Times: 11.30am
- Entry fee: £0 (Donations welcome)
VE Day Danish Memorial Service – 80th anniversary of Danish liberation
VE Day 2025 marks 80 years since the end of World War II, with churches and communities marking the occasion through special events and tributes. Newcastle Cathedral will commemorate the date with a unique service honouring Danish merchant seamen, known as the ‘war sailors’, whose international memorial is housed within the Cathedral.
After Germany occupied Denmark in April 1940, more than 6,000 Danish sailors – ranging from teenagers to those nearing retirement age – supported the Allies. Newcastle became their designated ‘home port’ in 1941, and a Danish club was established in St Nicholas Buildings, across from the Cathedral. Many sailors found a warm welcome in the city between voyages.
Tragically, around 2,000 lost their lives. Their bravery is remembered in a Cathedral memorial unveiled in 1982, alongside a commemorative window added in 2002. Each year, the Danish Church in Newcastle holds a service, typically near 5 May, Danish Liberation Day.
This year, due to the significance of the anniversary, the service will take place on VE Day, Thursday 8 May. It will begin at 11.30am with a short service in the Quire led by the Danish pastor from the Danish church in London, Mr Karsten Møller Hansen.
This will be followed by the laying of wreaths at the memorial. Attendees are then invited to join the Cathedral’s 12.30pm Eucharist service and can gather afterwards in Café 16.
For more VE Day events click here.