Floating lanterns from last year’s Hiroshima Day event in Hastings

Hiroshima Day commemoration 2018

Hastings Against War will commemorate those who lost their lives in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 with a ceremony at the boating lake in Alexandra Park on Monday August 6th. An estimated 185,000 people perished after US airforce planes bombed the cities, dying as a result of the initial blast, due to fires sparked by the bombs and as a result of radiation-sickness caused by the explosions. John  Enefer writes.

The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki remain the only occasions when nuclear weapons have been used in war and each year ceremonies are held throughout the world to remember those who lost their lives and insist there is no repeat of such attacks.

The relevance of the ceremonies has increased with the recent tensions between the nuclear armed nations of America and North Korea.

The ceremony will come as progress continues towards achieving a nuclear weapon’s ban. To date, 59 nations have signed a UN treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons and 12 states have ratified the treaty. Once 50 nations are fully behind the treaty it will enter into force. A majority of 122 nations approved the treaty document in July of last year.    

The existence of the treaty is partly due to the work of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). The efforts of ICAN were acknowledged in the most dramatic way last December when the organisation was presented with the Nobel Prize for Peace.

2018 Hastings commemorative event

On Tuesday 31 July 31st the lanterns will be made at the Quaker Meeting House, South Terrace, Hastings. All are welcome to help, no artistic skills required. The lantern making will begin at 6.00pm.

Then on 6 August at the boating lake in the section of Alexandra Park nearest to the Queens Road roundabout, there will be a short programme featuring guest speaker, Peter Chowney, leader of Hastings Borough Council – and the Las Pasionarias choir. At sunset, floating lanterns will be released on the lake in the traditional Japanese style. Everyone is welcome to attend the free event, which begins at 8.15pm.

The event is organised by Hastings Against War. The group meets on the first Tuesday of every month at the Quaker Meeting House, South Terrace. All welcome.

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