The Blackley Band has spoken to 4BR about their pride at being able to support Manchester City Council in commemorating the recent 75th anniversary of VE Day.

Manchester's cenotaph memorial was due to have been the central focal point of the city's planned commemoration celebrations including a military parade, but these had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic restrictions.

Response

However, Blackley responded to the approach by Manchester City Council by using modern technology in the most fitting way possible under the circumstances.

It saw the members of the band give a socially distanced performance of the hymn tune 'Eventide', which was included as part of an online remembrance service, streamed by the council through their social media at 11.00am on the day.

The service also included readings and acts of remembrance by the Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor of Manchester, and featured historical footage from the Manchester Metropolitan University archives.

Honour

In honour of those who made the ultimate sacrifice principal cornet player Tom Molyneux was shown on screen sounding the 'Last Post' at Manchester Cenotaph.

Tom had worked alongside the City Council to pre-record the rendition prior to the event, with footage later shared on social media and viewed over 25,000 times by Sunday evening.

Tom later remarked on just who eerie the centre of Manchester was on the day — in complete contrast to the scenes 75 years ago.

It saw the members of the band give a socially distanced performance of the hymn tune 'Eventide', which was included as part of an online remembrance service, streamed by the council through their social media at 11.00am on the day4BR

Last Post

Just before 3.00pm on the day when brass musicians right across the country stood outside their front doors to pay their own 'Last Post' respects, the council broadcast a separate video, again featuring Tom along with fellow Blackley Band cornet players Paul Whitehead and Chrissy Chalk-Smith, sounding the 'Last Post' and 'Reveille' from their own homes.

The initiative also saw Chrissy featured on the front page of 'The Guardian' newspaper the following day.

Homage

A band spokesperson told 4BR: "It was an honour to be part of VE Day proceedings and to be able to pay homage to the bravery and sacrifice of those who fought for our freedom, both at home and overseas.

It was particularly poignant that Blackley Band should have had this honour, given that the band's origins can be traced back to 1941 as the band of the North Manchester Home Guard, who undertook the vitally important role of defending our home front, which ultimately contributed to victory in 1945."