Local WWII enthusiast Ray Fricker to commemorate 81st anniversary of Victory over Japan
This Saturday, 15th August, marks VJ Day Victory over Japan Day and residents across Tameside are being invited to pause and remember as a familiar sound echoes through the borough once more.
At 2pm sharp, Droylsden’s own Ray Fricker will sound his authentic World War II air raid siren from his Anderson shelter, marking the moment 81 years ago when Japan’s surrender brought the Second World War to its final end.
Ray, a local military memorabilia collector, has spent over 14 years curating what he describes as “likely one of the best private collections in the country.” His siren, a genuine wartime artefact that took 15 years to track down and three months to rebuild can be heard, neighbours say, “miles away.”
Ray, typically sounds the siren only twice a year, on VE Day and New Year’s Eve, but this weekend’s commemoration gives Tameside a rare chance to hear it in action on VJ Day.
So, when the siren wails at 2pm this Saturday, take a moment. It’s a sound that once meant danger and now stands as a reminder of the peace that followed.
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