VE Day – Coventry Cathedral

Coventry Cathedral, whose ruins are a potent reminder of the cost of war, will commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day with a wide range of events and worship both at home and abroad.

VE DAY 80 – join us in a shared moment of celebration and remembrance.

More VE Day 2025 events here.

The Dean of Coventry, the Very Revd John Witcombe will travel to Berlin for the anniversary to join a special service in their partner church, the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche, with the Federal State President of Germany and other ecumenical and international representatives.

The service will be broadcast live on German national TV, and the Dean has been asked to introduce the Coventry Litany, which will be read in seven different languages. He said ..

‘I am honoured to have been invited to participate in the national service of remembrance taking place in the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche in Berlin, with Federal state President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and other international representatives. 

‘I will be introducing the Coventry Litany of Reconciliation, a prayer for God’s forgiveness for all that divides people and nations, which will then be led by voices from different countries before I conclude, praying in the words of St. Paul, “Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.”

The Litany of Reconciliation, known as the Coventry Litany, is prayed every weekday at noon in the cathedral and throughout the world by partners in the Community of the Cross of Nails.

It was written by Canon Joseph Poole in 1958 and centres on the phrase Father Forgive which was inscribed on the wall of the ruined Cathedral by Provost Dick Howard after the Blitz, where it can still be seen today.

The words echo the prayer of Jesus as He hung dying on the cross: ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing’.

BBC Radio 4 Today programme will broadcast from Coventry Cathedral for VE Day.

On May 2nd there is a joint VE/VJ Day 80 Concert fundraising concert for the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation which will feature live performances from special guests including the Brass Band of Central England, renowned Cellist Guy Johnston, and the UK’s premier wartime act, the D-Day Darlings.

On Thursday 8th May, historians Adam Wood and Adam Neale will host two illustrated talks to commemorate the anniversary titled Bombs in Coventry: The 1939 IRA Attack & The 1940 Blitz.

The 1939 Bombing of Broadgate – Adam Wood

On 25 August 1939 a bicycle was parked up against the kerb outside Astley’s shop on Broadgate, with a deadly cargo in its carrier basket. It was a Friday lunchtime, and the street was packed with people. At 2.30pm a huge explosion threw passers-by to the floor and blew the glass from the windows of shops and offices the length of the street. More than sixty people were injured, a dozen seriously, and five people lost their lives. Hear the human stories of those involved, and how the families of the dead attempted to rebuild their shattered lives.

The Coventry Blitz of 1940 – Adam Neale

On the night of 14 November 1940 the biggest air raid in history began. Bombs began to fall on one of the oldest cities in England. Learn what really happened: whether it was preventable, the heroic struggles, and real-life testimonies of people who were there as the city burned.

The talks will take place at the John Laing Centre at 2pm (tickets available here).

This will be followed by Choral Evensong on Thursday, 5th May, at 5:15pm.

Andrew Alldrick, Coventry Cathedral’s Bell Ringing Master, was recently featured in Country Living magazine, and he will be ringing the bells as part of the national VE Day initiative at 6:30pm on Thursday 8 May.

Thursday 8th May will mark 80 years since the end of the Second World War in Europe. To commemorate this occasion, the Government has announced an events programme between Bank Holiday Monday (5th May) and VE Day (8th May), culminating in a nationwide celebration of this historic day. You can check out all the events near you by clicking here.