14 November 2020 marks the 80th anniversary of the Blitz which brought so much devastation to the city. With the city synonymous as a city of peace and reconciliation, it’s important that we continue to mark the occasion and despite the huge challenges that COVID-19 have brought for everyone, there are several activities planned to ensure the date can still be marked appropriately.
Lord Mayor’s reflection
As The Lord Mayor of Coventry, Councillor Ann Lucas, wanted to say some words in recognition of this important date in our city’s history.
The 14th of November is, and always will be, such an important day for Coventry.
It is a day when we remember the suffering of our city and its people during the air raid that caused such heartbreak and devastation. We remember those we lost, and our thoughts are with their families.
But we remember also the courage and the will of the people to rebuild our city and create something special.
The Ruins alongside our Cathedral are a physical reminder of that Blitz, but the night of 14th November 1940 is embedded in Coventry’s spirit.
It has seen our city rise from the ashes to become a beautiful multicultural city of sanctuary - a city of peace and reconciliation that tells its story to bring others together in friendship and understanding.
As we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Blitz, that night and those brave people are with us always.
They shape our city and they inspire us to work for a better tomorrow.
Although, sadly, we cannot be together today, this service shows that we will always find a way to honour them.
We will always remember them.
Saturday 14 November, 12noon - Litany of Reconciliation
Dean John will lead the Litany of Reconciliation, which can be viewed on the Cathedral’s Facebook page [https://www.facebook.com/coventrycathedral/videos/].
Saturday 14 November, 6pm to 8pm - BBC CWR Coventry Blitz
To mark the 80th anniversary of the Coventry Blitz, we’re giving you another chance to hear the story of that night told by those who lived through it. You can hear our award-winning documentary and thoughts of peace from Coventry’s community radio stations and submissions to upload in a special programme from 6pm-8pm on Saturday 14 November.
People can listen by searching BBC CWR on BBC Sounds, 94.8FM, DAB or on your smart speaker “ask for BBC CWR”.
This programme is also being simulcast in partnership with other local community radio stations, you should also be able to hear it on Vanny Radio, Hillz FM and Coventry & Warwickshire Hospital Radio.
Saturday 14 November, 7pm - Remembering the Coventry Blitz of 14 November 1940
The team at Culture Coventry are premiering a video capturing the events of November 14 1940 told through the memories, artwork and photographs of those who were there.
The video, entitled, Remembering the Coventry Blitz, will premiere at 7.00pm on their YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzo0KaQ3h9w]
It will also premiere on the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum and Coventry Transport Museum's Facebook pages at the same time.
The programme is timed to go live to coincide with the same time diary entries in the Coventry Archives recorded the start of the Blitz.
Saturday 14 November, 7pm - 8pm Coventry Cathedral Service
Coventry Cathedral will be hosting an online service to reflect on the events of 80 years ago. The service not only commemorates the terrible and tragic events that took place on that fateful night but will also take the opportunity to celebrate the peace, justice and reconciliation which Coventry’s city and cathedral continue to stand for today. The Coventry Peace Bell, presented to the late Queen Mother by the President of Germany as a gift from the German nation at a service of Reconciliation held on 14 November 1940, will be sounded.
The service will also include a half-hour documentary on the bombing put together by the Lord Mayor’s Peace Committee, as well as contributions from the Lord Mayor, the Lord-Lieutenant of West Midlands, the Bishop, the Dean, Community of the Cross of Nails Partners from around the world, and the Cathedral Choir.
This will be broadcast on Coventry Cathedral’s Facebook page [https://www.facebook.com/coventrycathedral/videos].
It will also be made available earlier in the day on the Cathedral’s YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/c/CoventrycathedralOrgUkOfficial_Channel/videos]. The text of the service will be available to download from the Cathedral website [https://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/wpsite/online-services]. An audio version will be made available via the Cathedral’s telephone service on Saturday: 024 7693 9700.
Saturday 14 November, 8pm â One Night in November revisited
The Belgrade Theatre is commemorating the 80th anniversary of The Blitz by revisiting its critically acclaimed production of ‘One Night in November’. Filmed in 2013, the breathtaking wartime drama will be available to stream online via The Belgrade’s website from 14-30 November.
Written by local playwright Alan Pollock and directed by Hamish Glen, One Night in November is one of the Belgrade Theatre’s most successful productions to date. It follows the story of one family’s harrowing experience of the Blitz, examining the idea that Winston Churchill may have had advance warning of the attack on the city.
Tickets are available to book online at www.belgrade.co.uk [http://www.belgrade.co.uk]. Please note that the box office phone lines remain closed while staff continue to work remotely.
Saturday 14 November, 8pm â Reflections on the Blitz film
The Coventry Lord Mayor’s Committee for Peace and Reconciliation are also marking the occasion with the release of a new film looking back on the Blitz from the perspectives of five different people who lived through it.
Set to premiere online at 8pm on Saturday 14 November, the film will feature the voices of two Belgrade Young Company members – Semilore Kaji-Hausa and Georgina Gibson – along with three volunteers from the Lord Mayor’s Committee – Paul Maddocks, Pru Poretta and Rhys Davies.
The idea for the project came about after the Committee published a book on behalf of Coventry Cathedral last year. The publication, Ruined and Rebuilt by Provost Howard, tells the story of the night bombs fell on Coventry, when Provost Howard and three other men ran through the Cathedral, trying to put out the fires. The very next morning, Howard resolved that the Cathedral would be rebuilt, and it was largely through his vision and leadership that Coventry was established as a city of peace and reconciliation.
Originally, the Committee had planned to host readings from the book in the ruins of the old Cathedral on the night of the 14 November. Over time, however, the idea developed of telling the story in a different way, with Dean John Witcombe reading the words of Provost Howard, alongside perspectives from a range of other people from the city.
The film produced by The Lord Mayor’s Committee for Peace and Reconciliation will premiere at 8pm on Saturday 14 November [https://coventrycityofpeace.uk/14-november-1940-video/].