ANTI-war demonstrators from Finchley gathered to remember one of the darkest times in modern history yesterday.

The Hiroshima and Nagasaki Remembrance Ceremony was held at the cherry tree, a Japanese symbol of good luck, planted over 20 years ago by members of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in Victoria Park.

About 15 people, including a composer who attended anti-nuclear demonstrations in the Sixties with actress Vanessa Redgrave, and a man whose family fled apartheid in South Africa, heard a short speech, a song about the First World War and a poem entitled “sonnet for peace” from members of the group.

They began with a minute’s silence to remember the 220,000 Japanese victims who fell in the bomb blasts of 1945.

Paul Joseph, 79, of Mill Hill, fled apartheid in South Africa with his wife and two daughters 40 years ago.

He said: “We feel very deeply distressed by these things. All over the world conflicts impact on people producing upheaval, poverty, and starvation.”

He attended with his 13-year-old granddaughter Katriona, while her mother Nadia, who was seven when the family fled and witnessed police raids and brutality against black people and ethnic minorities, took part in the march from Glasgow to London to celebrate the 70th birthday of Nelson Mandela in 1988.

Another campaigner was composer James Stevens, 86, of Devonshire Road, co-writer of 1960s film, Portrait of Queenie, about jazz singer Queenie Watts, which featured an anti-nuclear blues called “Didn’t want the Kissin’ to Stop”.

He said: “I have been tied up in the anti-nuclear movement all my life. [The nuclear bomb strikes] were the greatest outrage against humanity I can imagine. And to have dropped two bombs is totally unforgiveable and appalling and I hope Barack Obama is going to apologise for it.”

The event was organised by Gardi Vaswani, who said: “Billions of pounds are spent on the replacement of Trident. Never again should this happen – we need the money to stop world poverty, we need our resources for peaceful means.”