COVENTRY remembers Hiroshima. Every year a remembrance event is held in Coventry Cathedral on August 6 to remember that fateful day in 1945 when an atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, and a second one on Nagasaki three days later. At least 100,000 were killed instantly or in the first few days and many more died later due to the effects of the radiation. This year marks the 80th anniversary of this horrific event.

Coventry itself suffered extensive destruction and is linked with Hiroshima and other cities that suffered destruction during the second world war. The new cathedral was completed in 1962. It was built adjacent to the ruins of the old cathedral destroyed by bombing by Hitler’s Nazi forces on November 14 1940. It is full of symbolism with donations from countries far and wide.

The Lord Mayor’s Peace Committee in Coventry organises the annual remembrance in the cathedral to promote peace and reconciliation. This year more than ever we need peace in the world.

With wars in Ukraine/Russia, Gaza/Israel and Iran/Israel-USA, the threat of escalation and the possible use of nuclear weapons we urgently need to appeal to policy-makers and political leaders to remind them of the devastating effects of war and to focus on finding peaceful solutions to our differences. World War II was supposed to be the war to end all wars, with the deaths of 75 million people, but there are still more wars today.

Latterly, activities of the Coventry Peace Committee have included a major focus via schools for the young who will be our future leaders.

During the service the story of Sadako Sasaki is told. She was a girl who lived in Hiroshima and who was exposed to radiation from the bomb and became fatally ill with leukaemia eight years later. She was told a legend that if you made 1,000 paper cranes you could have a wish that would come true.

She made thousands of paper cranes during her illness. The making of paper cranes has come to symbolise hope and a desire for peace and reconciliation. Schoolchildren from Hiroshima make paper cranes in beautiful, coloured paper every year and send them to Coventry.

The Children’s Peace Monument is in the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima and commemorates Sadako Sasaki and all the children who died because of the atom bomb. After she died her friends started a campaign to collect donations from the public for a memorial and this monument is the result.

We hope that we will all reflect on the need for dialogue and better ways to resolve differences and thus avoid the intolerance and injustice that lead to war.

This is the text of the letter sent from Lord Mayor of Hiroshima to the Lord Mayor of Coventry:

“Dear Lord Mayor Lancaster,
It is both my honour and pleasure to send this message on the occasion of Hiroshima Day 2025.

On August 6 1945, the first atomic bomb used in human history was dropped on Hiroshima. It instantly reduced our city to a scorched plain, claiming countless lives and shattering normal life. The lives of the Hibakusha are still impaired by the adverse effects of radiation on their minds and bodies.

Today, the global situation is tense. Russia's protracted invasion of Ukraine and the worsening situation in the Middle East have deepened distrust and fear among nations. If nations continue to expand nuclear and other armaments to maintain superiority over others, and the public assumption that we have to rely on military force gains ground, the realisation of a peaceful world will only slip further out of reach.

In these challenging times, it is essential for civil society to unite in hope and determination, taking collective action to urge policy-makers to shift their policies. In the past fiscal year, over 2.26 million people from around the world have visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

This record number is evidence of unprecedented interest in the atomic-bombed city of Hiroshima and a heightened awareness of peace. The foundation of Hiroshima’s will for peace is the ardent hibakusha plea that no-one else should suffer as they have.

To dispel the suspicion and doubt that create conflicts, what we can do now is share, connect to, and discuss the experiences and values of others through exchange activities such as music, art, sports, and more, to foster a circle of trust and spread the sense of safety we feel in our daily lives. 

As such, it is profoundly meaningful that the Hiroshima Day is held in your city — a city rebuilt from the ashes, like ours, to become a city of peace.

Remembering the tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and praying for world peace together with many citizens is truly admirable, and for this, you have my deepest respect.

The City of Hiroshima, together with approximately 8,500 member cities of Mayors for Peace, continues to raise peace consciousness in civil society and create a world filled with the culture of peace, thus urging policy-makers relying on nuclear deterrence to shift their diplomatic policies toward peaceful solutions through dialogue.

I would like to ask you to act in solidarity with us to eliminate nuclear weapons and light the way toward lasting world peace.

In closing, I extend my best wishes for the further prosperity of your city, as well as your good health.

Sincerely yours, Matsui Kazumi Mayor
The City of Hiroshima”

This year’s Hiroshima Day Remembrance is on Wednesday August 6 starting at 5.30pm with organ music by Tony Edwards then at 5.45pm outside the cathedral there will be Taiko Drumming. At 6pm the Coventry Hiroshima Remembrance will begin in the cathedral, and the Peace Bell will be rung by Alderman Jo Clifford. There will be a reading of letters between Hiroshima and Coventry and the Sadako story will be told by means of a performance by pupils from Cardinal Newman Roman Catholic School. As ever there will be the making of paper cranes for peace and readings by the committee. All are welcome.

For more details visit https://coventrycityofpeace.uk.