THE NATION SAYS THANK YOU
70 years on, three days of stirring events to mark the joy of VE Day
The bunting is going up. Old soldiers are polishing medals and shining shoes as they prepare to mark the greatest moment in modern history – 70 years ago today. Starting this afternoon, Britain will enjoy three great days of commemoration and celebration to mark Victory in europe Day, May 8th 1945 – forever known as Ve Day. Just one final detail remained unresolved at Westminster Abbey last night.
The order of service for Sunday morning’s National Service of Thanksgiving went to print without the name of the person who will read the lesson in front of the Queen, the veterans and millions of BBC viewers.
The programme states simply: ‘ The Prime Minister reads from the Great Lectern.’ Who will that be? The Abbey is keeping a pew reserved for senior politicians and will leave it to the electorate to decide who ends up reading from the Book of Romans – ‘If God be for us, who can be against us?’ – and who is left stewing in the seat marked ‘ Leader of the Opposition’.
But the politicians are not the stars of this show. The next three days are all about honouring and thanking the entire wartime generation with a spectacular series of events which will remind us that some things really are more important than party politics.
AND these ceremonies and concerts, which follow a Daily Mail campaign for proper recognition of this anniversary, will not only recreate the euphoric atmosphere of May 1945 but also honour all those who gave their lives in pursuit of peace.
It all starts today at 3pm, the precise moment when Winston Churchill delivered his historic broadcast declaring Germany’s unconditional surrender and the end of the Second World War in europe. People across Britain are encouraged to mark the twominute silence.
In London, crowds will gather at the Cenotaph on Whitehall to hear Churchill’s words read out by his great grandson, Randolph Churchill. Standing alongside him will be veterans, the Chief of the Defence Staff and the leaders of our main political parties (whoever they may be by this afternoon). Blearyeyed post-election horse trading must be suspended for half an hour while the politicians put on their smartest clothes and lay their wreaths. The Duke of York will represent the Queen, who will mark the moment at Windsor.
The Department for education is encouraging schools to organise events and parties, to play Churchill’s broadcast and to invite veterans to join them for the afternoon.
Come nightfall, crowds will gather to see 200 beacons lit across the United Kingdom from Cornwall to Anglesey, Aberdeen and Belfast – via Blackpool Tower. The Queen, accompanied by the Duke of edinburgh, will light the first one in the grounds of Windsor Castle at 9.30pm.
During three days of festivities, communities large and small will be holding street parties, fetes, dances and barbecues.
Today, for example, Birmingham’s Centenary Square will host an all- day festival of wartime music and dancing, along with a display of military vehicles and a ‘Make Do And Mend’ workshop. Tomorrow, the centre of Forfar will come to a halt with bands and a flypast. So, too, will Guildhall
Square, Southampton. The Black Country Living Museum will have a replica Army camp while a Lancaster bomber will fly over a street party outside Sheffield Cathedral.
All churches and cathedrals have been asked to create a ‘moment of noise’ by ringing their bells at 11am tomorrow. Tomorrow night, BBC1 will come live from a VE spectacular on Horse Guards where assorted war heroes will be among the 13,000strong crowd entertained by Status Quo, Alfie Boe, Chris Evans, Alexander Armstrong, Elaine Paige and Katherine Jenkins. Pixie Lott and the stars of Strictly Come Dancing will reprise those famous wartime dance moves.
Finally, t he main national commemoration takes place at Westminster Abbey on Sunday morning, led by the Queen and Prince Philip (both war veterans themselves), the Prince of Wales and other members of the Royal Family and 500 veterans. The Master of the Queen’s Music has composed a special anthem for the service, which will also feature King George VI’s VE Day speech, read out by the actor, Simon Russell Beale.
The service will be broadcast on BBC1 and relayed to giant screens on Horse Guards. There, the 13,000 grandstand seats erected f or tomorrow’s concert will be open to the public free of charge on a first come, first served basis. They’ll also get a ringside view of perhaps the most emotional sight of the entire weekend. Shortly after 12.30, the Royal British Legion’s parade of veterans will step off from the Abbey and process through Parliament Square, past Churchill’s statue, down Whitehall and through to Horse Guards for a royal salute and a full Battle of Britain flypast overhead. The marching will not be particularly slick and the drill sergeants may have their work cut out. But you are unlikely to see anything as stirring for a very long time.