Ilkeston - VE Day 75th Anniversary
w/e 10 May 2020
All of this week's pictures were
taken with a Kodak DX6490
We've obviously not done as much walking as we would normally
do during the coronavirus lockdown and have been restricted to
shopping trips or a little exercise on short walks literally
"around the block". With Friday May 8th 2020 however
being the 75th anniversary of VE Day we did manage a longer walk
. The majority of the planned events to celebrate the day have
been cancelled but in true British spirit, the people of Ilkeston
made the best of a bad job.
The pubs are still not allowed to be open but that didn't stop
Hogarth's decorating their premises.
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Hardly any of the shops were decorated though but individual
home like this one were flying the flags.
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Bedroom windows too seemed to be a good place to drape flags
and bunting.
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And this one over a downstairs window left no-one in any doubt
about what the celebration was about.
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On our walk we saw bunting strung across several streets.
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It was easier for neighbours in some streets like this cul-de-sac
to join together whilst still socially distancing of course to
decorate the whole street.
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And some streets had really gone to town with their decorations
that included bunting, garlands, flags and balloons too.
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St James Avenue was one street where the community spirit was
to the fore.
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Fences, walls and gates on both sides of the road were festooned
with decorations.
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In normal times people would have gathered around the Cenotaph
to mark the occasion and there may have been a small ceremony
there during the day, but when we passed and paused to pay our
respects to all those mentioned on the memorial who perished
before the end of the war, the Market Place was almost deserted.
Whilst we can make the most of the anniversary of the end of
the war in Europe we must never forget that victory over Japan,
VJ Day, did not come until August 1945 and without the sacrifice
of so many lives we wouldn't be able to enjoy the freedom we
have today. After six years of war and with condolences to all
the families and friends of all who have lost their lives in
the current pandemic, it puts a few weeks' inconvenience due
to coronavirus into perspective. Be thankful for what we have,
stay home, stay safe.
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