Bristol Hannover Council
Germany’s National Day of Mourning (Volkstrauertag)
This year, Germany’s National Day of Mourning or Volkstrauertag was held on Sunday November 15th, to commemorate the bombing of Coventry on that date in 1940. The remembrance ceremony was held in the Bundestag in Berlin, and there was a photograph of Coventry’s bombed-out cathedral in the background. We were alerted to this by our friend Thomas Hermann, mayor of Hannover, telling us that it would be broadcast on ZDF, so it was possible to watch it via satellite TV. Prince Charles was the guest of honour and gave a full and heartfelt speech on British-German friendship, alternating between German and English. The ceremony, attended by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Bundestagspresident Wolfgang Schäuble, was organised by the German War Graves Commission. The President of the Commission opened the proceedings and mentioned the many city twinnings between Germany and Britain. A number of young people made statements, a young German peace activist, a young Israeli lawyer, and a student of Bristol Grammar School! Jasleen Singh referred to a creative project, Never Such Innocence, a poetry and art competition for young people, prizes to be awarded in London in 2021. Jasleen said we should never forget the suffering and loss of war, and should somehow achieve peace between nations. It was a proud moment for her and for Bristol to be present at the ceremony.
