Joy of VE Day was worth months as prisoner of war, says Fife veteran

A Fife man said the pure joy of celebrating VE Day in Trafalgar Square 75 years ago was worth the 16 months he spent in a prisoner of war camp.

Former RAF gunner Albert Gunn said the confinement he endured after he was shot down over Germany and captured meant people across the UK could have a different future.

The 95-year-old Church of Scotland elder said VE Day was an important anniversary and he is pleased younger generations are learning about the horrors and sacrifices of the Second World War.

Mr Gunn was just 18 when his Handley Page Halifax heavy bomber suffered catastrophic engine failure during a raid on Berlin in December 1943.

He and his crew were forced to bail out just seconds before it crashed and exploded.

He had to clutch his parachute to his chest to make the jump as the straps were broken but he made it to the ground safely, only to be captured by German soldiers not long after he landed on the edge of a field.

He was taken to Stalag IV-B where he was held as a Kriegsgefangener – a prisoner of war.

The Kinghorn Parish Church member battled hunger and drew on his strong Christian faith to maintain hope and his sanity until the camp, near Leipzig, was liberated in April 1945.

Mr Gunn said: “I was in Trafalgar Square on VE Day, stopping off on my way home after being released from the prison camp.

“There were thousands of people there, all laughing, excited and celebrating the end of the war.

“I knew then that the hard years in the prison camp had been worth it, that all the scary times had meant we would have a different future.”

He said he bore no malice towards his captors and had no regrets.

“I am glad that the younger generations are learning about the war and what my generation went through as there were a lot of difficult moments,” he added.

“People all over the country suffered bombings, rationing and loss of loved ones.

“VE Day meant all the sacrifices were over and a new future opened up, which is what we all fought for.”

Mr Gunn’s wartime story is included in a chapter in a book called Last Of The Kriegies.

His daughter, the Rev Gillian Paterson, minister of Wellesley Parish Church in Methil, said the family were very proud of him and that VE Day was always an emotional occasion.