Newcastle’s Historic Bond with Denmark to Be Celebrated in VE Day Service

VE Day 2025 marks 80 years since the end of World War II, with churches and communities across the country set to mark the occasion through special events and tributes.

Newcastle Cathedral will commemorate the 80th anniversary on Thursday 8 May, at 11:30am, with a unique service honouring Danish merchant seamen, known as the ‘war sailors’, whose international memorial is housed within the Cathedral.

After Germany occupied Denmark in April 1940, more than 6,000 Danish sailors – ranging from teenagers to those nearing retirement age – supported the Allies. Newcastle became their designated ‘home port’ in 1941 and a Danish club was established in St Nicholas Buildings, across from the Cathedral. Many sailors found a warm welcome in the city between voyages.

Tragically, around 2,000 lost their lives. Their bravery is remembered in a Cathedral memorial unveiled in 1982, alongside a commemorative window added in 2002. Each year, the Danish Church in Newcastle holds a service, typically on or near 5 May, Danish Liberation Day.

This year, due to the significance of the anniversary, the service will take place on VE Day, 8 May. It will begin at 11:30am with a short service in the Quire led by the Danish pastor from the Danish church in London, Mr Karsten Møller Hansen.

This will be followed by the laying of wreaths at the memorial. Attendees are then invited to join the Cathedral’s 12:30pm Eucharist service and gather afterwards at Café 16 in the Cathedral refectory.

HC Anderson, spokesperson for the Danish Church in Newcastle, says, “We are deeply grateful to Newcastle Cathedral for continuing to keep the stories and experiences of these sailors and their families alive. All the surviving war sailors had to live with the memories of convoy duty. Normal life was hard to resume for the many who returned to Denmark, and many chose to stay in the UK, which had been their home for five years.”

The Very Revd Lee Batson, Dean of Newcastle, adds, “Newcastle has long been a place of sanctuary, and this tradition continues today through the Cathedral Lantern Project. It’s an honour to be part of commemorating Danish Liberation Day and the national VE Day celebrations.”

The service will remember the contribution of the Danish war sailors, commemorate those who lost their lives, and celebrate the enduring bond between Newcastle and Denmark.

For more information about the service, please visit newcastlecathedral.org.uk/whats-on.

Image: 2024 Danish Memorial Service, Photo by Steve Brock