St Joachim and St Helen's 80th VE Day Celebrations

As part of the national celebration of the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of VE day, a group of St Joachim's and St Helen's pupils helped to lead a patriotic VE day celebration together with the local community and the Royal British Legion in front of Brick Lane Music Hall in Silvertown.

We remembered the fallen during the wars, especially WWII, on the 80th Anniversary of VE Day (Victory in Europe). We heard stories of how the war affected our local area and schools and how the community came together to support each other and re-build. Monsignor John Arimtage led the service and also lit the beacon. We sang songs and hymns from the 1940s in Thanksgiving 

It was a fantastic evening where the children heard poetry and various memorial tributes, as well as hearing the Kings speech together with the then Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. The historic beacon was lit to mark the occasion, as it would have been 80 years ago. The local Member of Parliament, the Right Honourable James Asser MP, spoke to the group gathered about the pivotal role this part of London played in the war and how stoic the people of East London had been who took the brunt of the arial bombings during the Blitz. Monsignor John Armitage presided over the celebration and children from St Joachim's and St Helen's read short recollections about different aspects  of life in the East End during the war. The children were also were able to pay their own respects by presenting poppies around the war memorial in front of the hall. The evening was finished off with the children singing popular songs from the 1940s, such as We'll Meet Again. The evening concluded with a prayer of thanksgiving and the national anthem. The occasion was both enjoyable and very memorable for all the children there.