Hiroshima and Nagasaki Commemorations

Hiroshima Day event in Arran, August 6th 2019

Arran CND group are planning a short reflective gathering at the Peace Tree in the main square (opposite MBS) in Whiting Bay at 6pm on Tuesday August 6th. Please join us if you would like to spare a few minutes to commemorate this shocking event and the one that followed at Nagasaki.

The event in Arran is one among many others taking place around Scotland, to mark the anniversary of the bombings in Japan. See below for a list of events.

A picture from The Banner archives of Kirsty McGovern planting the peace tree in 1987

Seventy-four years ago, on the 6th August 1945, the United States, with the consent of the United Kingdom, dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, killing up to 80,000 people with over 70,000 people injured and dying from radiation sickness in the following weeks and months. The city was destroyed and over 100,000 people died from the bomb named “Little Boy”. Three days later the US dropped “Fat Man” atomic bomb on Nagasaki in Southern Japan, killing nearly 100,000 people – the majority of which were civilians.

The following events have been organised in Scotland:

PAISLEY: Renfrewshire CND will hold a Hiroshima Commemoration on Tuesday 6th August in the Paisley Peace Garden of Barshaw Park.

GLASGOW: Scottish CND will hold a gathering in Glasgow on Tuesday 6th August from 1:00pm at the Peace Tree in front of the main entrance of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

EDINBURGH: Edinburgh CND will hold a gathering at the East End of Princes Street on Tuesday 6th August from 6:00pm until 7:00pm

ABERDEEN: Aberdeen and District CND will hold a gathering to commemorate the bombing of Nagasaki on Friday 9th August from 7:00pm outside Marshical College, Broad Street, Aberdeen.

FASLANE: Faslane Peace Camp will be holding remembrance vigils across Tuesday 6th August and Friday 9th August, please visit if you can to support the camp.

ANSTRUTHER: A Peace of History exhibition will be at the Secret Bunker during the anniversaries of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Fife CND will be holding a vigil on these days at the Secret Bunker and all are welcome to attend.

DUNDEE: Annual walk since 1981 on Hiroshima Day, meet at Law Road by the water pumping station and march off at 8:30pm then on 9th August there will be a meeting at the Law at one minute past 11 to commemorate Nagasaki. Contact Mike Arnott: 07951 443656

CND works to prevent world leaders having the means to commit similar atrocities in the future. Arran CND group meets monthly in Brodick – see The Arran Banner ‘What’s On’ section for details.

The featured image shows the memorial plaque by the tree in Whiting Bay.