VE Day 80 Flag Raising

The Chairman, Councillor Andrew Woolf welcomed Veterans, Councillors and friends to join him in raising the Flag for VE Day 80 2025.

The Chairman's speech:

Good morning
It's wonderful for all of us to be here, as we come together to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
As we know, VE Day was declared on 8th May 1945, after Britain and its allies formally accepted Nazi Germany's surrender after almost six years of war. At 3pm, the then - Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced World
War Two in Europe had come to an end. The people of our great nation, who had endured so much suffering and pain, came out on the streets with smiles on their faces, as finally, the war in Europe was over. In London, there were scenes of euphoria, especially in Piccadilly, Trafalgar Square and on The Mall, leading up to Buckingham Palace, where you could hardly move with so many people cheering and singing.

Soon after Churchill's speech, King George VI, along with members of the Royal family, made the first of 3 appearances from the balcony. The last appearance included Winston Churchill. Also within that euphoric moment,
the late Queen Elizabeth II, then 19, and joined by her sister Princess Margaret, had secretly gone out among the crowds, and had been part of a conga at the Ritz hotel.
But whilst there was so much joy and happiness, there was also the sadness and sorrow for so many as their loved ones had met their death, either in conflict, or through the bombardments the country suffered over the period
of the war. In total, 384,000 British soldiers and 70,000 civilians perished. We must never forget them - we will remember them. But the war was not completely over, and in the Far East and the Pacific, it continued until 2nd September 1945. During those three months, soldiers that had fought in Europe were worried that they would be redeployed to fight elsewhere.

Celebrations continued across the country, and the clean-up and rebuilding commenced. As we stand here today, with our freedom, we give our thanks to those who made this happen, and continue to do so. And I am honoured to
stand here in the presence of some of our veterans from the Royal Naval Association. Thank you for your service, and for keeping us safe.
I'd like to end with some of the words from that 3pm speech Churchill gave 80 years ago today. "My dear friends, this is your hour. This is not victory of a party or of any class. It's a victory of the Great British nation as a whole."
Thank you

The Chairman welcomed everyone to join him for refreshments and cake in the Council Offices.

The Chairman also attend the Royal Naval Association VE Day event, held in Ayscoughfee.  A poignant and eloquent service was given by Revd. Barbara Hutchinson, which was well attended.