MEDIA ADVISORY
WHO: The public as well and students, faculty and staff of Westminster College are cordially invited to join America’s National Churchill Museum in a first-ever celebration of its kind.
WHAT: The bells of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury, will ring a celebratory peal for 10 minutes to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day, when Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced that the war in Europe had ended.
Other activities*:
- Special tribute to mid-Missouri community members of the Greatest Generation
- Opportunities to cuddle and take photos with ANCM’s new British bulldog mascot, Victor
- Lawn games such as croquet (weather permitting)
- Light, festive refreshments
- Music
- Other activities, as a celebration for the community and break from finals for students
WHEN: 11:50 a.m.-1 p.m. CDT on VE Day – Thursday, May 8, 2025
WHERE: Latshaw Plaza on the campus of Westminster College, 501 Westminster Ave., between Champ Auditorium and ANCM. Parking available behind Champ and on West Seventh Street.
WHY: This event will take place in unity with churches and other civic organizations throughout the world ― particularly the UK ― including Westminster Abbey, where the king and queen will attend a solemn ceremony. Bell-ringings, reflections and other remembrances in celebrations of unity and peace will honor those who gave the greatest sacrifice for freedom.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: This particular event will also celebrate the historic connection between America’s National Churchill Museum at Westminster College and the United Kingdom. The historic church of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury, was designed in the 1670s by Royal Architect Sir Christopher Wren and badly damaged in 1940 during World War II. The partially ruined church stood in London for more than 20 years before being carefully dismantled and moved stone by stone to Westminster College, where it was re-hallowed in 1969 as a memorial to Winston Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” speech. Churchill delivered his famous address in Westminster’s Historic Gymnasium on March 5, 1946.
Today, the church is the centerpiece of America’s National Churchill Museum and stands as a symbol of peace and resilience, representing the strong, historic ties between the United States and the United Kingdom.
*Rain location: Champ Auditorium foyer
