Beacon to be lit on Tom Burt’s Hill in High Wycombe to mark 70th anniversary of VE Day

At 9.32pm on Friday 8th May 2015 a beacon will be lit on Tom Burt’s Hill in High Wycombe to mark the 70th anniversary of VE Day.

The lighting ceremony event will be a partnership with the Royal British Legion (RBL) and Wycombe District Council.

Starting at 9.20pm a short ceremony will precede the lighting of the beacon and will include a welcome from the Chairman of Wycombe District Council, a bugle fanfare and a tribute read by local veteran Alan Newton.

At 9.32pm exactly the beacon will be lit on Tom Burt’s Hill which will be one of a chain of over 100 that will be lit at the setting of the sun across the nation.

Kevin Taylor, Chairman of the High Wycombe branch of the RBL, commented: ‘We are pleased to be working with Wycombe District Council regarding the VE Celebrations. Today it is difficult to comprehend just how much relief that announcement brought to our country 70 years ago. But while the world has changed, what hasn’t changed is the much needed support the RBL provided to veterans of 70 years ago and the support we continue to provide today.‘

Footpaths in Shelley Road give access to Tom Burt’s Hill. Anyone wishing to attend the ceremony is invited from 8.30pm onwards and is encouraged to bring a torch for the return walk after the lighting event has finished. As there are uneven surfaces on the footpaths and in the open space, appropriate footwear is must.

In addition to the beacon lighting Wycombe District Council will be firing maroon rockets from the grounds of Wycombe Abbey School to mark the beginning and end of the two minute silence at 3.00pm on Friday 8th May 2015.