Bicentenary 2014
From The Moment Magazine:
This year marks 200 years since the closure of the Napoleonic era prisoner of war camp at Norman Cross just outside Peterborough. It’s also the 100th anniversary of the unveiling of the eagle memorial which stands near to the site. On 27 July, a special commemorative service will mark both of these events, but most of all will honour the many international prisoners who spent years of their lives at the camp and the 1,770 who remain buried at the site.
Members of the public are invited to attend the ceremony, which starts at 2pm at the memorial beside the A15 London Road, close to the junction with the A1. It’s was hoped that the current Duke of Wellington – whose ancestor was so closely linked with the Napoleonic Wars – would be there, but unfortunately he has had to curtail some of his engagements for this year and sends the Friends of Norman Cross his well wishes, for the Bicentenary Commemorative Service. Alongside other VIPs include representatives from France, where many of the Norman Cross prisoners came from.
To tie in with the anniversaries, the nearby Norman Cross Gallery – which occupies one of the few remaining camp buildings – will be displaying specially-commissioned portraits related to the subject by Gilson Lavis, the former Squeeze and current Jools Holland Rythym and Blues Orchestra drummer turned artist. This exhibition will be free for the public to visit.