Armed Forces Day: Inside the air raid shelter below a Brighton primary school

ITV News Meridian's Malcolm Shaw reports on Armed Forces Day commemorations in Brighton

A primary school in Brighton has been showcasing its air raid shelter to mark Armed Forces Day.

The annual commemoration highlights the contribution of service personnel past and present, along with cadets who are looking to embark on a military or naval career.

Downs Junior School saw cadets parade in the playground, as members of the public were able to go underground to see the air raid shelter.

It is only the second in the country to remain open to people after it was restored by volunteers.

During the Second World War, it held capacity for 300 hundred children and staff as bombs fell during the Second World War.

Fran Stovold, from Take Shelter, said, "It's damp and it's cold down here. In the summer, it's really hot and humid.

"You can imagine what it would be like to be closed in here for an unknown amount of time if you've got bombs going overhead.

"And we do have, as part of the tour, an air raid simulation and then in conjunction to coming and seeing the shelter, they get to talk to veterans who were all children in the war who can talk about what it was like when they were using shelters like this."

Following the 80th anniversary of D-day, Armed Forces Day carries even greater significance.

John Hayden Jones, President of the Royal Sussex Regimental Association, said,

"Through the wars, we've lost a lot of chaps and women and civilians.

"And to me this is the main thing, to be able to represent them because they can't be here because they've passed away, and we represent them and we take pride in how they kept this country free."

Armed Forces Day is also an opportunity to inspire the next generation of service personnel with cadets on hand to share their experiences.

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