Panopoly of anniversaries as nation reflects and remembers
Tomorrow, 1,918 trees will arrive at Lichfield Cathedral to become a “peace woodland”, as part of
art installation. The artwork, by the Cathedral’s artist in residence, Peter Walker, marks the centenary of the Armistice. It will open to the public on August 17. which marked the end of the Second World War. There was relief and joy across the world after US President Harry S Truman broke the news at the White House shortly after 7pm. The Potsdam Declaration was issued on July 26, calling for the unconditional surrender of Japan. On August 6 and 9 the US dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively, killing an estimated 250,000 people and simultaneously bringing Japan to its knees. lost their lives just three months after the people of Northern Ireland voted overwhelmingly ‘Yes’ to the Good Friday agreement.
There will be a significant amount of analysis in relation to the bombing and its aftermath, including the political ramifications. The Omagh bomb changed the political landscape of republicanism in Ireland and saw an end to the nascent Real IRA, which carried out the attack in response to the IRA’s political wing, Sinn Fein backing the peace process.
Thursday is A-level results day, so expect lots of pictures of teenagers leaping with joy (and possibly some not), as the nation collectively analyses the impact of the results. Expect perennial musings over whether the exams are still relevant and/or hard enough to also make an appearance.
On Saturday, there will begin a twoday Festival of Flight. The festival, in Bromley, will commemorate 100 years of the RAF with a 12-Spitfire flypast, a re-enactment of the Battle of Britain’s ‘Hardest Day’ in 1940, and a full rolling display by the Red Arrows.
On Wednesday, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) will release its house price study, which is likely to be tinged with a sense of foreboding, for two reasons: firstly, the ominous spectre of Brexit and secondly, the recent miniscule hike in interest rates by the Bank of England.
The ONS will add fuel to the fire on Thursday with the publication of its monthly retail sales figures.