1940s Day event to celebrate the American pilot who 'bombed' 23 tons of sweets to German children

The event at Read & Simonstone Constitutional Club takes place from 12pm to 5pm on Monday, May 5, with a display of military vehicles, craft stalls, face painting, a special lone piper performance, hot dogs, a pizza van, tea, scones with jam and cream, plus games such as splat the rat and hopscotch.

Local estate agent Pendle Hill Properties, who have an office based in Read, are also supporting the event with their Candy Bomber commemoration at 1pm, which will see them hand out 250 free Hershey’s bars and 250 toy parachutists to children attending the VE day celebration from a WWII jeep.

The activity will commemorate The Candy Bomber, Col. Gail Seymour Halvorsen, an American pilot who gained fame for dropping 23 tons of sweets to German children during the Berlin airlift of 1948 by tying a handkerchief to the candy bar and dropping it out of his plane.

Steve Neary, Chairman of Read & Simonstone Constitutional Club, said: “We are delighted to announce our VE Day celebration, which will be a fantastic day out for all the family. We have an action-packed day of activities, and we look forward to all the community coming together to mark the occasion.”

Andrew Turner, Managing Director of Pendle Hill Properties, said: “We are proud to be supporting another great local event, and we are really excited about the activities taking place at Read Con Club on May Day Bank Holiday. Our Candy Comber commemoration has been really popular at events around Lancashire, and we would recommend that everyone gets down there early to avoid disappointment.”

With support from the Burnley and Padiham Branch of the Royal British Legion, the free-to-attend event will also feature a live singer and karaoke from 2pm, a children’s poster and poetry competition at 4pm and a raffle at 5pm.

Those attending are encouraged to attend in 1940s dress.