Some who know me might be surprised to find I wanted to mark VE Day in some way. Those who know me well know that I’m a keen supporter of the British Royal Legion (and all its works) and have posted about Remembrance Day in past blogs, for example:
Falling Leaves Like Snowflakes
In Flanders field the poppies blow
There but not there
Teenage me spent some time with the Territorial Army Cadets and I almost joined the navy as a radar operator before I was deflected onto an alternative course and the world of English and Drama. Oh, the decisions we make and how The Road Not Taken can give us reasons to reflect: WHAT IF...!?
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| Badby celebrations, Alex's bunting, Joyce's afternoon tea, Sally's scones, Tony's Victoria Sponge |
This year’s VE Day was the 75th anniversary and much of the celebrations were constrained by the country’s attempts to restrict the spread of Covid-19. But there were still plenty of scones to be baked, bunting (makeshift and otherwise) to be raised, and monarchs to behold the swelling scene. Numpties stupidly referred to the day as Victory Over Europe rather than what it was: Victory In Europe or, as some Germans wisely call it, Victory Over Evil. How will we “celebrate” in August on the 75th anniversary of Japan signing an unconditional surrender to the Allies following the dropping of two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? All in good time…. What was clear about VE Day in 1945 is that the mood of the country led to the Labour government that founded the NHS: populations across the world longed for unity and international cooperation; it was a time that promised the end of divisions, inequality and differences. It was a time of hope. It was going to be a brave new world….
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