Hundreds attend remembrance concert in Leamington to mark 70th anniversaries of VE Day and VJ Day

Warwick District Remembers 2015 featured performances from the Royal Naval Association Male Vocie Choir, the Warwickshire band for the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, singers Amy Thomas and Maddy Kerr and the Shirley Pipe band.

The first half of the concert commemorated some of the major battles from the war and paid tribute to those who died in the Holocaust and in POW camps.

The second half of the concert was a celebration of Victory in Europe and Victory in Japan Day which took place in 1945.

Guides, scouts, cubs, brownies and sea, army and air cadets helped out at the event and members of the WAGS gang show put on a moving First World War drama.

Tribute was also paid to Arctic Convoy veterans Bill Perks and Arthur Wickes, from Lillington and Whitnash respectively, who were both presented with a bottle of Navy Rum.

The event was sponsored by BPS, Hawkesford estate agents and Linleigh and supported by many others who have been thanked by organiser Cllr Adrian Barton of Whitnash.

The event is due to take place annually until 2018 when it will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

Next year’s event will mark 100 years since the Battle of the Somme and the 95th anniversary of the formation of Royal British Legion (RBL)

Like with last year, some of the profits from this event will be donated to the RBL.