A SPECIALLY designed bench to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VE and VJ Days has now been installed in Cockfield.
Plans to unveil the bench, which was designed with the help of children from the village primary school, had been scheduled to take place on VE Day. However, due to the coronavirus lockdown this was not possible.
Parish councillor Andy Whelan, an active RAF officer, initially put forward the idea of having a commemorative bench.
He said: “I think the plans now are to look at doing something on VJ Day in August as the school is slowly starting to come back. What was important for me was to have the children involved so future generations will remember and under-stand what VE and VJ days are all about.”
Elements of the children’s designs were incorporated into the bench, which high-lights all those who took part in the war effort, not just the armed forces.
Cllr Whelan added: “It was always at the forefront of my mind that the children had to be involved and it was over-whelming from their designs it wasn’t just about the armed forces but about everyone who took part – from the women who worked in the factories to the men who were down the pit and those keeping the home fires burning. We were all in together.”
The bench has been sited at the village’s war memorial, outside the doctors’ surgery.
