Liverpool’s countdown is on for the Battle of the Atlantic 80th Anniversary

The city of Liverpool will be hosting an extraordinary three-day event to commemorate the 80^th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic.

The Battle of the Atlantic (BoA80) is an important international event. It will bring together partners from across the city region and beyond, including the Merchant Navy, Royal Navy, RAF, Western Approaches Museum, National Museums Liverpool, LJMU, Liverpool City Council, and the Liverpool City Regional Combined Authority. It will include guests from our armed forces, allies and friends in the Commonwealth, Europe, and the USA.

Above all else, BoA80 is about celebrating and commemorating the bravery and resilience of the ordinary – yet extraordinary – men and women whose courage and commitment won the most decisive and long fought battle of the Second World War. 

The commemorations will take place during a three-day event between 26 – 28 May 2023, and will reflect on the experiences of the people behind the battle’s significant shore-side effort, including shipyards, dockers, the defenders of UK ports, Wrens, suppliers, factory workers, and their families.

BoA80’s special weekend of events will include a riverside 1940s-themed military village, visiting vessels, fly pasts by vintage aircraft, a concert by HM Royal Marines Band at Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall, and a drumhead ceremony at the Pier Head. A poignant ‘March of the Medals’ will follow Sunday’s drumhead service, and members of the public who have a family member who served during the Atlantic Campaign will be invited to register to take part.

During the commemoration weekend in May, the Battle of the Atlantic Memorial Charity will unveil two new spectacular and moving memorials to those who were lost: a new national Battle of the Atlantic memorial at the Church of Our Lady and St Nicholas at the Pier Head, and a poignant light installation, Atlantic Lights, on the shores of the River Mersey at Woodside.

Commemorations will conclude at precisely 19.43 hours on Sunday May 28, with the attending merchant ships and warships leading a convoy down the Mersey, while Beating Retreats are performed on both shores of the river.

The 80-day countdown event also launches a series of free public lectures which will allow members of the public to explore the history and legacy of the Battle of the Atlantic. The first lecture in this series – The Naval Review, by Sir Clive Johnstone – explores the impact of geopolitics on maritime trade. It will take place at St Nick’s Church on Wednesday 8 March, from 5.30pm.

For more information on BoA80 click here.

To register your attendance to the free event click here.