Today, 8th May, marks the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day. The moment in 1945 when the Second World War in Europe came to an end. Across the country we pause to remember the extraordinary courage and sacrifice of those who fought to secure our freedom.
In the House of Commons, this solemn anniversary is being marked with a ‘Turning of the Page’ ceremony, where the names of the fallen are revealed in the Books of Remembrance. A national service of thanksgiving, led by the Royal British Legion at Westminster Abbey, will also honour the heroes of both World Wars.
Locally, it is good to see the number of commemorative events taking place on the 8th May and over the weekend that follows. The vehicle convoy that will pass through Alton on Saturday en route to Milestones Museum in Basingstoke will, I am sure, be very striking. There will also be community lunches, tea parties, and a parade at the Petersfield War Memorial (further details are available on the East Hampshire District Council website).
In Alton, a guided tour of the Commonwealth War Graves cemetery will provide insight into the lives of local servicemen laid to rest there. Among them is Sergeant Ronald Burgess, who died at just 22 during a daytime sortie in his Halifax III. According to records, while flying low after take-off - as was standard procedure - the aircraft’s wing clipped the sea, causing it to break apart. His sacrifice formed part of Operation Goodwood in July 1944.
VE Day is not only a moment to reflect on the immense human cost of war, but also to consider what has followed. The Second World War gave way to the Cold War, with the former allies, US and USSR, becoming ideological adversaries. Gorbachev’s Glasnost reforms and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 were defining moments that reshaped global relations.
But the hoped-for ‘peace dividend’ that followed has, sadly, proved short-lived. Recent years have seen growing instability, with renewed conflict in the Middle East, Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, and a shifting stance from the United States prompting Europe to reassess its defence posture.
Yet despite these challenges, we remain profoundly grateful that global war on the scale of the 20th century has not returned. NATO has been fundamental in this, and it remains so. As we honour the courage of those who served and fell, we must also recommit ourselves to the cause of peace and freedom, so that their sacrifice is never forgotten, and never repeated.
