This VE Day, Newcastle Cathedral will honour Danish merchant seamen, known as the ‘war sailors’, whose international memorial is housed within the Cathedral.
VE Day 80th Anniversary – Newcastle Cathedral
There will be a special service on Thursday 8 May, at 11:30am 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 gather afterwards at Café 16 in the Cathedral refectory.
The service will remember the contribution of the Danish war sailors, commemorate those who lost their lives, and celebrate the enduring bond between Newcastle and Denmark.
HC Anderson, spokesperson for the Danish Church in Newcastle, said,
“We are deeply grateful to Newcastle Cathedral for continuing to keep the stories and experiences of these sailors and their families alive.
‘All the surviving war sailors had to live with the memories of convoy duty. Normal life was hard to resume for the many who returned to Denmark, and many chose to stay in the UK, which had been their home for five years.”
After Germany occupied Denmark in April 1940, more than 6,000 Danish sailors – ranging from teenagers to those nearing retirement age – supported the Allies.
Tragically, around 2,000 lost their lives.
Newcastle became their designated ‘home port’ in 1941 and a Danish club was established in St Nicholas Buildings, across from the Cathedral where many sailors found a warm welcome in the city between voyages.
Their bravery is remembered in a Cathedral memorial unveiled in 1982 and a commemorative window that was added in 2002.
The Very Revd Lee Batson, Dean of Newcastle said,
“Newcastle has long been a place of sanctuary, and this tradition continues today through the Cathedral Lantern Project. It’s an honour to be part of commemorating Danish Liberation Day and the national VE Day celebrations.”
For more information about the service and about the Cathedral Lantern Project, please click here.
