WW2 veterans urged to come forward now to mark 80th anniversary of victory
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From: Devon
WW2 veterans urged to come forward now to mark 80th anniversary of victory
WW2 veterans urged to come forward now to mark 80th anniversary of victory - Royal Navy
World War 2 veterans and their families should register so they can play their full part in this year’s VE and VJ anniversary commemorations – and tell their stories to the nation.
The 80th anniversaries of victory over Fascism (VE Day on May 8th), and Japanese militarism (VJ Day, August 15) are likely to be the last major events attended by those who contributed to the victories.
With the passage of eight decades, the youngest men and women who contributed to victory will be 96, those who fought 98 or older.
As it did with last year’s events honouring the heroes of D-Day, the Royal British Legion is helping to co-ordinate some of the major national events marking the end of World War 2.
Those commemorations will focus on the combined efforts of the Allies, from Britain, the Commonwealth and beyond.
The charity is calling on those who served between 1939-45 – numbers of survivors are thought to be a few thousand – or their family or carers on their behalf, to register on its website to join national and local community events.
Among those who is urging fellow veterans to come forward is John Roberts – a sub-lieutenant on D-Day, today a long-retired rear admiral.
He played his full part in the Normandy landings – and in shaping the post-war world. He remained in the Royal Navy, re-trained as an aviator, flew fighters over Korea, captained aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal and headed the Fleet Air Arm before retiring after an impressive 40-year career in 1978.
“2025 is an important year for my generation, with anniversaries for both VE and VJ Day,” said the 100-year-old senior officer from Whitstable in Kent.
“I want to encourage all those who served their country in the Second World War to register on the RBL’s website, to make sure they are involved.”
The charity helped 21 veterans and their families return to Normandy for June’s D-Day commemorations, and assisted 26 unable to attend who instead took pride of place at a service of thanksgiving at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
“Everyone in modern Britain will somehow have a connection to those who experienced the war, either through their family or community heritage,” said the RBL’s director of remembrance, Philippa Rawlinson.
“It’s important we mark these anniversaries with commemorations in communities across the UK and with national moments to thank our armed forces veterans, without whom the way of life we enjoy today would not have been possible.”
As well as those serving in the armed forces from Britain, some six million personnel from the Commonwealth also contributed throughout the war.
Registration for the commemorative events is open via the legion’s website – www.britishlegion.org.uk – to surviving British and Commonwealth armed forces veterans, as well as those who contributed to the war effort.
That includes munitions workers, those conscripted back home, from reservist occupations and in the Special Operations Executive.
Those who register will be informed of commemorative plans and invited to attend local and national events.
World War 2 veterans and their families should register so they can play their full part in this year’s VE and VJ anniversary commemorations – and tell their stories to the nation.
The 80th anniversaries of victory over Fascism (VE Day on May 8th), and Japanese militarism (VJ Day, August 15) are likely to be the last major events attended by those who contributed to the victories.
With the passage of eight decades, the youngest men and women who contributed to victory will be 96, those who fought 98 or older.
As it did with last year’s events honouring the heroes of D-Day, the Royal British Legion is helping to co-ordinate some of the major national events marking the end of World War 2.
Those commemorations will focus on the combined efforts of the Allies, from Britain, the Commonwealth and beyond.
The charity is calling on those who served between 1939-45 – numbers of survivors are thought to be a few thousand – or their family or carers on their behalf, to register on its website to join national and local community events.
Among those who is urging fellow veterans to come forward is John Roberts – a sub-lieutenant on D-Day, today a long-retired rear admiral.
He played his full part in the Normandy landings – and in shaping the post-war world. He remained in the Royal Navy, re-trained as an aviator, flew fighters over Korea, captained aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal and headed the Fleet Air Arm before retiring after an impressive 40-year career in 1978.
“2025 is an important year for my generation, with anniversaries for both VE and VJ Day,” said the 100-year-old senior officer from Whitstable in Kent.
“I want to encourage all those who served their country in the Second World War to register on the RBL’s website, to make sure they are involved.”
The charity helped 21 veterans and their families return to Normandy for June’s D-Day commemorations, and assisted 26 unable to attend who instead took pride of place at a service of thanksgiving at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
“Everyone in modern Britain will somehow have a connection to those who experienced the war, either through their family or community heritage,” said the RBL’s director of remembrance, Philippa Rawlinson.
“It’s important we mark these anniversaries with commemorations in communities across the UK and with national moments to thank our armed forces veterans, without whom the way of life we enjoy today would not have been possible.”
As well as those serving in the armed forces from Britain, some six million personnel from the Commonwealth also contributed throughout the war.
Registration for the commemorative events is open via the legion’s website – www.britishlegion.org.uk – to surviving British and Commonwealth armed forces veterans, as well as those who contributed to the war effort.
That includes munitions workers, those conscripted back home, from reservist occupations and in the Special Operations Executive.
Those who register will be informed of commemorative plans and invited to attend local and national events.
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From: Location: Location!
Navy Wings has some more information about Rear Admiral Roberts, together with details of an even older veteran who was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross as a Midshipman,
Jack
Jack
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From: Devon
I am disappointed by the lack of views - we all are related to people who served between 1939 and 1945. I would have thought that this forum was somewhere where there would be contributors who are in touch with surviving veterans.
Britain's greatest generation deserve every accolade we can give them.
Britain's greatest generation deserve every accolade we can give them.
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From: UK
I am disappointed by the lack of views - we all are related to people who served between 1939 and 1945. I would have thought that this forum was somewhere where there would be contributors who are in touch with surviving veterans.
Britain's greatest generation deserve every accolade we can give them.
Britain's greatest generation deserve every accolade we can give them.
Phil Shiner's not still about?
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From: West Sussex
Glad to see a mention of the SOE. Women agents not already in the Armed Forces joined the FANY's (First Aid Nursing Yeomanry) that dated from WW1 to give them some Service status under the Geneva Convention (duly disregarded by the enemy). It still exists as an auxiliary support organisation, and in tribute to its incredibly brave forebears of WWII it is represented in the Remembrance Sunday March Past at the Cenotaph in their distinctive outfits. Always towards the rear, so that as often as not the massed bands are faded out (usually playing the march The Liberators appropriately from their repertoire) so that the Beeb can cut to the drone above and Dimbleby can intone his windup. The loneliness and immense courage of their radio operators, always on the move, always having to be one step ahead of those seeking them, often betrayed, was rarely matched in my estimation.
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From: Royal Berkshire
Most of the unit veterans associations that I used to help with back in the 90's have all long since wound up in the past decade or more as the numbers left dwindled below the 50 mark.
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From: Hampshire
Only seems like yesterday we lost the last Great War veterans. Glad to see VJ gets a mention. No WW2 veterans left in my family, my old man would have been 100 next month. His WW2 service with the RN took him as far west as Pensacola, east to the Pacific off Oz, north escorting convoys round the North Cape to Russia and south to the seas off Southern Africa and NSW. I would suspect many of his remaining contemporaries are (in their families' opinions) too frail to attend, especially if they arent going to be front and centre at what often seem to be PR events for politicians rather than showing respect for the veterans. Shame on the RN PR machine that the is no mention of former members of the Merchant Navy - 27% of whose comrades were killed by enemy action - sadly it doesn't surprise me.
Last edited by SLXOwft; 16th January 2025 at 16:33.
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What status could it give them ? They were spies and so liable to be executed.
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From: Devon
Cenotaph draped in Union Flags, Westminster Abbey service, concert and Flypast among plans unveiled to mark VE Day 80 - DCMS/MOD
The 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day will be marked this year with a series of events and celebrations that will share stories of the Second World War generation.
Victory in Europe (VE Day), which takes place on 8 May, marks the Allied victory in Europe. The news resulted in millions celebrating the end of the war, with street parties, dancing and singing across the country. The war in the Far East did not end until 15 August 1945 with VJ Day (Victory Over Japan).
The commemorations will pay tribute to the millions of people across the UK and Commonwealth who served in the Second World War, telling the stories of those who fought, the children who were evacuated, and those who stepped into the essential roles on the Home Front.
The early May Bank Holiday will see the beginning of the events to mark VE and VJ Day 80 with events planned including a Military procession and flypast of current and historic military aircraft, the return of the poppies to the Tower of London and a nationwide call for families to delve into their lofts and discover their own Second World War stories:
The 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day will be marked this year with a series of events and celebrations that will share stories of the Second World War generation.
Victory in Europe (VE Day), which takes place on 8 May, marks the Allied victory in Europe. The news resulted in millions celebrating the end of the war, with street parties, dancing and singing across the country. The war in the Far East did not end until 15 August 1945 with VJ Day (Victory Over Japan).
The commemorations will pay tribute to the millions of people across the UK and Commonwealth who served in the Second World War, telling the stories of those who fought, the children who were evacuated, and those who stepped into the essential roles on the Home Front.
The early May Bank Holiday will see the beginning of the events to mark VE and VJ Day 80 with events planned including a Military procession and flypast of current and historic military aircraft, the return of the poppies to the Tower of London and a nationwide call for families to delve into their lofts and discover their own Second World War stories:
Monday 5 May:
- To ensure the commemorations act as a point of remembrance of the millions who lost their lives in the conflict as well as a celebration of peace, the commemorations will begin in Whitehall. The Cenotaph, the nation’s focal point of remembrance, will be dressed in Union Flags for the duration of the four day commemorations, echoing the 1920 unveiling of the monument to the fallen. From Monday 5 May, it will provide a focal point for the commemorations and a place to pay silent tribute to all those who died, both at home and abroad, during the Second World War.
- To honour and remember those who fell during the Second World War, there will be a Military procession from Whitehall to Buckingham Palace followed by a flypast of current and historic military aircraft including the famous Red Arrows.
- The VE Day 80 commemorations will continue with a street party on HMS Belfast. HMS Belfast fired some of the opening shots on D Day in 1944 and protected Arctic convoys during the Second World War and is the most significant surviving Second World War warship.
- Street parties, barbecues and community get togethers, supported by ideas and inspiration from The Together Coalition and The Big Lunch, will be held by communities across the country, echoing the celebrations 80 years ago as the population welcomed the end of the war.
Tuesday 6 May:
- An installation of ceramic poppies will return to the Tower of London to mark the anniversary. Nearly 30,000 of the original poppies from the 2014 display at the Tower, which commemorated the centenary of the First World War, will be displayed in a new installation within the walls of the fortress. This poppies installation will resemble a ‘wound’ at the heart of the Tower, which was itself bombed during the Blitz and still bears some of those scars today. It will mark and reflect on the sacrifices made by so many during the Second World War.
- Historic landmarks across the UK will be lit up this evening.
Wednesday 7 May:
- On the evening of the 7th May 1945, a newsflash announced that the following day would be Victory in Europe Day. To commemorate this important moment in the nation’s history, the Parliament Choir will host a Victory in Europe Day Anniversary Concert in the famous Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster, eighty years to the day that victory was declared.
Thursday 8 May:
- A service will take place at Westminster Abbey that will be both an act of shared remembrance and a celebration of the end of the war. It will be a moment to give thanks and to honour a generation that showed extraordinary courage and resilience.
- The events will conclude with a concert at the historic Horseguards Parade to finish the VE Day 80 commemorations in a celebratory tone, echoing how the nation reacted to the news 80 years before. With more than 10,000 members of the public in attendance, the concert will feature stars of stage and screen and military musicians and tell the story of victory and the legacy of the Second World War in Europe.
Friday 15 August:
- To mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the war in the Far East, a service will take place at the National Memorial Arboretum. In partnership with the government, the Royal British Legion will lead the nation in honouring and remembering those who fought and died during the War in the Far East.
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From: Everett, WA
There can't be that many left though, or ones that are fit enough to attend, as they'll be a min of almost 99, even if like my late father, they only served in final 6-9 months of WW2.
Most of the unit veterans associations that I used to help with back in the 90's have all long since wound up in the past decade or more as the numbers left dwindled below the 50 mark.
Most of the unit veterans associations that I used to help with back in the 90's have all long since wound up in the past decade or more as the numbers left dwindled below the 50 mark.
Granted, small compared to the tens of thousands of the original participants, but as the youngest was ~98, it was still impressive.
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From: 350/3 Compton
Only seems like yesterday we lost the last Great War veterans. Glad to see VJ gets a mention. No WW2 veterans left in my family, my old man would have been 100 next month. His WW2 service with the RN took him as far west as Pensacola, east to the Pacific off Oz, north escorting convoys round the North Cape to Russia and south to the seas off Southern Africa and NSW. I would suspect many of his remaining contemporaries are (in their families' opinions) too frail to attend, especially if they arent going to be front and centre at what often seem to be PR events for politicians rather than showing respect for the veterans. Shame on the RN PR machine that the is no mention of former members of the Merchant Navy - 27% of whose comrades were killed by enemy action - sadly it doesn't surprise me.
That almost exactly matches Mogwi Snr’s service: Pensacola, HMS Tracker (North Atlantic convoys, Seafire AND Stringbag!), Ramrods over France (first kill), Arctic convoys and Tirpitz raid in HMS Indefatigable followed by transit to Far East for ops against the sons of Nipon (2 more kills), flying Seafire. Ended up in NAS Nowra before heading back to Blighty. Sadly joined the great crew room in the sky some fourteen years ago and would be 102 years old now. He walked through heavy snow from Maidstone to Chatham (10 miles) on his 18th birthday to join up.
Mog
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National Theatre film and Imperial War Museums bring Second World War stories to a new generation as part of VE Day 80 plans
Today, Wednesday 12 March, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has announced a programme of activity to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
In addition to four days of events and celebrations to commemorate the end of the Second World War in Europe, additional activities will include a new film, a national call out for the public to look for letters written during the war, an immersive AR experience and resources for every school in the country.
To mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, a new film will be released, telling the stories of young people as they looked ahead to a future free from conflict.
The education and community programme is designed to give every young person in the country the opportunity to engage with veterans and hear first hand testimony of the impact of war.
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Film and performance:
Today, Wednesday 12 March, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has announced a programme of activity to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
In addition to four days of events and celebrations to commemorate the end of the Second World War in Europe, additional activities will include a new film, a national call out for the public to look for letters written during the war, an immersive AR experience and resources for every school in the country.
To mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, a new film will be released, telling the stories of young people as they looked ahead to a future free from conflict.
The education and community programme is designed to give every young person in the country the opportunity to engage with veterans and hear first hand testimony of the impact of war.
---
Film and performance:
- Following the huge success of National Theatre’s ‘War Horse’ production that brought the horrors of the First World War to a new generation, a new film, ‘The Next Morning’ will focus on the hopes, dreams and ambitions of young people after the Second World War and what this means for young people today.
- Written by multi-award-winning stage and screen writer and creator of the Olivier Award-winning play Dear England, James Graham, the ten-minute film will take inspiration from archive materials to reflect the hopes that young people had for themselves and their country in 1945. Produced by the National Theatre with funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, ‘The Next Morning’ will be released online for the VE Day anniversary on 8th May 2025.
- Schoolchildren across the UK will be encouraged to delve into their own family history to discover the letters sent by their ancestors and relatives to loved ones during the Second World War. As part of IWM’s Letters to Loved Ones campaign, these first-hand testimonies could include soldiers on the front line, men, women and children on the home front; or relatives who contributed to Britain’s war effort from the British Empire and Commonwealth countries.
- At a special VE Day event at IWM North on 7 May, jointly produced by IWM and the National Theatre, some of the letters that the public submit will become part of a performance along with high profile public figures sharing letters from the IWM collection and excerpts from ‘The Next Morning’. Members of the public can potentially have their family story included by sharing letters on the Government’s VE/VJ Day website before Monday 14 April.
Resources for schools:
- A national programme of activity for school children also kicks off today with resources available for every UK primary and secondary school in the country from a range of partners. The Royal British Legion is launching a range of downloadable resources that will be available to all schools across the United Kingdom to help teachers across the nation plan activities in classrooms to mark VE Day.
- This will include a special film produced by the RBL entitled ‘I’ll Remember: Discovering the stories of VE and VJ Day 80’ with veterans reflecting on their wartime experiences, and young people visiting communities to learn more about the impact and legacy of the Second World War in modern Britain. A digital time capsule of VE Day stories from Second World War veterans will be created, intended to be opened 80 years from now in 2105, so future generations can remember the service and sacrifice of those who fought for our freedoms. In addition, BAFTA award-winning musician Simon Haw MBE has composed a song, I’ll Remember, for pupils to sing during VE Day school assemblies.
- In addition, letters, sound testimony, film and photographs from IWM’s collection will be shared with schools in order to help children and young people understand the history and legacy of the Second World War – and why it’s still so relevant today.
- The National Theatre will run a year-long schools engagement programme responding to the events of VE and VJ Day and this significant period of the UK’s history. The schools engagement programme for Key Stages 3 and 4 will be delivered as part of a nationwide tour of Dear England. Inspired by Gareth Southgate’s ‘Dear England’ open letter he wrote to England fans in 2021, this creative project will collect and share the hopes that young people have for themselves and for young people in 2105, 80 years’ from now.
National tours and engagement opportunities:
- An immersive augmented reality experience will give everyone in the country the opportunity to experience first-hand some of the most iconic images of VE Day. Launching in April, Atlantic Productions will bring colourised images to life through the voices of those who experienced it.
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) will run more than 150 mobile exhibitions travelling across the UK and a number of global commemorative sites to the Pacific, highlighting the stories of those who fought in the Second World War. CWGC is inviting members of the public to explore important history and connect by sharing their own personal stories. The Torch of Peace will be at the heart of the tour and act as an enduring symbol, honouring the contributions made by individuals, and as a baton to pass and share stories to future generations.
- In addition, funding from the National Lottery Community Fund Awards For All programme is available for organisations to bid for grants to host events, activities and projects to mark VE Day.
- DCMS is also launching Tip Top Towns, a programme to encourage communities across the country - whether towns, villages or cities - to get together with their communities ahead of Monday 5 May when the nation will come together for street parties to celebrate VE Day. Members of the public are encouraged to get in the VE Day spirit by making their own decorations, planting flowers, encouraging children to draw pictures for their windows or hosting arts and craft sessions.
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From: Devon
VE Day street parties encouraged across the west - BBC News
Eighty years after Victory in Europe Day - the end of World War Two in Europe, known as VE Day - people are being encouraged to celebrate the anniversary with street parties.
A flypast, concert, and a Westminster Abbey service are some of the national events lined up over the four-day celebration, beginning on the 5 May bank holiday and continuing through to 8 May.
Local authorities across the west of England are asking people to apply for any street closure permissions or licences as early as possible.
The celebrations reflect the end of World War Two in Europe, as announced by then Prime Minister Winston Churchill over the radio airwaves at 15.00 BST on Tuesday, 8 May 1945...
Eighty years after Victory in Europe Day - the end of World War Two in Europe, known as VE Day - people are being encouraged to celebrate the anniversary with street parties.
A flypast, concert, and a Westminster Abbey service are some of the national events lined up over the four-day celebration, beginning on the 5 May bank holiday and continuing through to 8 May.
Local authorities across the west of England are asking people to apply for any street closure permissions or licences as early as possible.
The celebrations reflect the end of World War Two in Europe, as announced by then Prime Minister Winston Churchill over the radio airwaves at 15.00 BST on Tuesday, 8 May 1945...
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From: Devon
Join in the nationwide VE Day community -/Together
2025 will mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day. As it was in 1945, the heart of the VE Day 80 commemorations and celebrations will be in our communities.
While VE Day itself is the 8th of May, to support this year’s momentous anniversary, the bank holiday Monday 5th May has been officially dedicated to community celebrations!
We want to come together to celebrate our Second World War veterans, having this unique opportunity to learn once more from their experiences. Let’s make Monday 5th May a day to both remember their efforts and to honour the freedom that VE Day represents...
2025 will mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day. As it was in 1945, the heart of the VE Day 80 commemorations and celebrations will be in our communities.
While VE Day itself is the 8th of May, to support this year’s momentous anniversary, the bank holiday Monday 5th May has been officially dedicated to community celebrations!
We want to come together to celebrate our Second World War veterans, having this unique opportunity to learn once more from their experiences. Let’s make Monday 5th May a day to both remember their efforts and to honour the freedom that VE Day represents...
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From: Devon
Stamps made to mark 80th anniversary of VE Day - BBC News
A special set of stamps is being issued to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
The collection of 10 stamps will honour men and women who made contributions during World War Two, while a mini-sheet of stamps has images of Dame Vera Lynn from different aspects of her wartime career.
Royal Mail will also be applying a special VE80 postmark on stamped mail in the week of the anniversary in May.
Emma Gilthorpe, chief executive of Royal Mail, said: "Royal Mail is proud to issue these stamps honouring the courage, sacrifice and resilience of those who fought for freedom and peace."
People featured on the stamps include:
– Mahinder Singh Pujji, a Royal Air Force and Indian Air Force pilot awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and commemorated with a statue in Gravesend, Kent.
– George Arthur Roberts, the first black man to join the London Auxiliary Fire Service.
– Mary Morris, whose diaries described how she nursed troops returning wet and wounded from Dunkirk.
– John Harrison, who served in the Royal Navy on the destroyer HMS Belfast.
– Bhanbhagta Gurung, who fought in Operation Longcloth in Burma and was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery.
– Thomas Peirson Frank, a civil engineer and surveyor whose rapid-response teams repaired more than 100 breaches of the River Thames wall during air raids.
– William Tutte, a codebreaker whose work was key to decrypting the Lorenz cipher, the German code used for top-level communication and intelligence.
Dame Vera Lynn lived in the East Sussex village of Ditchling before her death in 2020.
A special set of stamps is being issued to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
The collection of 10 stamps will honour men and women who made contributions during World War Two, while a mini-sheet of stamps has images of Dame Vera Lynn from different aspects of her wartime career.
Royal Mail will also be applying a special VE80 postmark on stamped mail in the week of the anniversary in May.
Emma Gilthorpe, chief executive of Royal Mail, said: "Royal Mail is proud to issue these stamps honouring the courage, sacrifice and resilience of those who fought for freedom and peace."
People featured on the stamps include:
– Mahinder Singh Pujji, a Royal Air Force and Indian Air Force pilot awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and commemorated with a statue in Gravesend, Kent.
– George Arthur Roberts, the first black man to join the London Auxiliary Fire Service.
– Mary Morris, whose diaries described how she nursed troops returning wet and wounded from Dunkirk.
– John Harrison, who served in the Royal Navy on the destroyer HMS Belfast.
– Bhanbhagta Gurung, who fought in Operation Longcloth in Burma and was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery.
– Thomas Peirson Frank, a civil engineer and surveyor whose rapid-response teams repaired more than 100 breaches of the River Thames wall during air raids.
– William Tutte, a codebreaker whose work was key to decrypting the Lorenz cipher, the German code used for top-level communication and intelligence.
Dame Vera Lynn lived in the East Sussex village of Ditchling before her death in 2020.
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From: Beyond the Blue Horizon
We Branch Fanatic
Call me pedantic, but HMS Belfast was not a Destroyer. As far as I am aware she was a cruiser and currently resides, and has done for some years in the upper Pool of London. Definitely not a WW2 Destroyer by any means or description.
Cheers
Mr Mac
Call me pedantic, but HMS Belfast was not a Destroyer. As far as I am aware she was a cruiser and currently resides, and has done for some years in the upper Pool of London. Definitely not a WW2 Destroyer by any means or description.
Cheers
Mr Mac
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From: The Roman Empire
Maybe the Royal Mail should issue a set of stamps to mark the courage, sacrifice and resilience of the victims of the Horizon scandal?
A bit less DEI and virtue signalling would also not have gone amiss.
And yes, HMS Belfast was, and still is, a cruiser.
A bit less DEI and virtue signalling would also not have gone amiss.
And yes, HMS Belfast was, and still is, a cruiser.
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From: Devon
I decided to let the lazy reporting pass without comment - HMS Belfast was/is indeed a cruiser and my late Grandfather's ship.
DEI? I did think that when I saw the people who had been selected, but on the other hand the list does include people such as nurses, firefighters, a codebreaker, and someone who helped repair bomb damage, underlining the fact that the whole country was involved. Also non white people served - this should celebrated. The problem is there are only a limited number of stamps.
DEI? I did think that when I saw the people who had been selected, but on the other hand the list does include people such as nurses, firefighters, a codebreaker, and someone who helped repair bomb damage, underlining the fact that the whole country was involved. Also non white people served - this should celebrated. The problem is there are only a limited number of stamps.
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From: Devon
Public invited to line Mall for VE Day procession and fly past 80
Commemorations to mark 80 years since the end of the Second World War in Europe, known as Victory in Europe (VE) Day, will kick off on Monday 5 May with a military procession featuring 1,300 members of the Armed Forces and thousands of members of the public watching along the Mall.
The events will pay tribute to the millions of people across the UK and Commonwealth who served in the Second World War, telling the stories of those who fought, the children who were evacuated, and those who stepped into the essential roles on the Home Front.
The procession will begin in Parliament Square when Big Ben strikes midday, and an actor will recite extracts from the iconic Winston Churchill VE Day speech. A young person will then pass the Commonwealth War Graves Torch for Peace to Alan Kennett, 100, a Second World War veteran who served in the Normandy campaign. The Torch for Peace is an enduring symbol, honouring the contributions made by individuals, which will act as a baton to pass and share stories to future generations.
The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and The King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery will then lead the procession from Parliament Square, down Whitehall and past the Cenotaph which will be dressed in Union Flags, through Admiralty Arch and up The Mall through to Buckingham Palace where the procession will finish.
They will be followed by a tri-service procession group featuring marching members of the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, the British Army and the Royal Air Force. Cadets from all three services and other uniformed youth groups will also take part in the procession to ensure the message of VE Day is handed down to a new generation.
The Prime Minister and Second World War veterans supported by the Royal British Legion will watch the procession from a specially built dais on the Queen Victoria Memorial.
The procession will conclude with the Mall being filled with members of the public and a fly past featuring the Red Arrows and 23 current and historic military aircraft.
VE Day 80 street parties, picnics and community get togethers are being encouraged to take place across the country as part of the Great British Food Festival, led by the Together Coalition and the Big Lunch in partnership with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
Commemorations to mark 80 years since the end of the Second World War in Europe, known as Victory in Europe (VE) Day, will kick off on Monday 5 May with a military procession featuring 1,300 members of the Armed Forces and thousands of members of the public watching along the Mall.
The events will pay tribute to the millions of people across the UK and Commonwealth who served in the Second World War, telling the stories of those who fought, the children who were evacuated, and those who stepped into the essential roles on the Home Front.
The procession will begin in Parliament Square when Big Ben strikes midday, and an actor will recite extracts from the iconic Winston Churchill VE Day speech. A young person will then pass the Commonwealth War Graves Torch for Peace to Alan Kennett, 100, a Second World War veteran who served in the Normandy campaign. The Torch for Peace is an enduring symbol, honouring the contributions made by individuals, which will act as a baton to pass and share stories to future generations.
The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and The King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery will then lead the procession from Parliament Square, down Whitehall and past the Cenotaph which will be dressed in Union Flags, through Admiralty Arch and up The Mall through to Buckingham Palace where the procession will finish.
They will be followed by a tri-service procession group featuring marching members of the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, the British Army and the Royal Air Force. Cadets from all three services and other uniformed youth groups will also take part in the procession to ensure the message of VE Day is handed down to a new generation.
The Prime Minister and Second World War veterans supported by the Royal British Legion will watch the procession from a specially built dais on the Queen Victoria Memorial.
The procession will conclude with the Mall being filled with members of the public and a fly past featuring the Red Arrows and 23 current and historic military aircraft.
VE Day 80 street parties, picnics and community get togethers are being encouraged to take place across the country as part of the Great British Food Festival, led by the Together Coalition and the Big Lunch in partnership with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...