Whitehill and Bordon 80th D Day Commemorations
The commemoration of the 80th anniversary of D Day took place in Whitehill and Bordon.
The commemorations commenced on Tuesday 4 June at the Phoenix Theatre with a display of memorabilia and visitors being able to listen via headphones to D Day stories told by veterans.
On Thursday 6th June the 80th anniversary of D Day commenced with the reading of the D Day proclamation in the events square at the Forest Community Centre. The D Day proclamation was read by the Town Crier followed by the raising of the Union Flag, the Royal British Legion(RBL), Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers Association(REME) and Bordon District Air Cadets standards with Whitehill Town Council Mayor Cllr James Fryer in attendance.
On the evening of 6th June 2024 there was a D Day beacon lighting ceremony at Whitehill Village Hall. This was a well-attended event with D Day memorabilia on display courtesy of the Woolmer Forest Heritage Society and refreshments laid on by the Bordon Woman’s Institute.
The D Day beacon was lit at 9:15pm alongside hundreds of other beacons across the United Kingdom followed by the reading of the International Tribute by the Town Crier and a speech by the Town Mayor.
On Saturday 8th June a D Day themed event was held at the Town park at the Shed. Organised by Whitehill Town Council the event brought together many Whitehill and Bordon community organisations to include: The Whitehill and Bordon Town Partnership, Whitehill and Bordon Regeneration Group, RBL, Whitehill Village Hall and the Phoenix Theatre.
Opened by the Town Mayor at 2:00pm the event consisted of various stallholders displaying arts and crafts, a marble counting competition from the RBL and the Phoenix Theatre putting on an immersive D Day experience using silent disco technology. Entertainment was provided from local singer, Jack Trinder, performances by the Forest Players, Liss Brass Band and the last performance was from Stephanie Bell singing 1940’s themed songs to close the event.
The event was sponsored by Taylor Wimpey who kindly provided funds to support Whitehill Town Council’s D Days events.
All funds raised over the week will be donated to the chosen charity which is Scotty’s Little Soldiers. Further information on Scotty’s Little Soldiers can be found on their website:
https://www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk/
Whitehill Town Council has been honoured to bring some of the Whitehill and Bordon Community organisations together to put these events on for residents to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D Day and remember all those who fought and died in the battle to free Europe.
