Ve Day 8th May 2005

[salientpoints]

Sunday 8th May 2005 we attended a commemoration concert at Eastbourne Bandstand, by The Johnny Spice Swing Orchestra and singers. We had an open-air concert performing tunes made famous by Glen Miller,Vera Lynn and other 1940s popular musicians and singers.

Johnny himself a Normandy Veteran was seen by many last year on TV when he played his saxophone to the crowds at Arrowmanche during the D-Day celebrations last june. Still a great player at 82!

[salientpoints]

another pic

[Kieron Hill]

Sounds like you had a nice time.

I went down to Surrey to visist
my Granddads grave where we
laid some flowers and a thank you
card. We then went onto the
Queens Surrey's Regimental
museum at Clandon Surrey.
All in all a good day.

Cheers
Kieron

[Gerry Chester]

Happily at home with our younger daughter - in the States it was also Mother's Day.

Never forgotten, celebrating it in England sixty years ago, while home having qualified for LIAP!

Cheers, Gerry

[DirtyDick]

I avoided the BBC evening coverage: namely a rip-off of the "Surprise, Surprise" format whereby ex-service people and friends and families were reunited after six decades' absence - very saccharin and hosted by Des Lynham - followed by Sir Cliff, Will Young et al performing wartime hits in Trafalgar Square. (Regional news was full of people dressed up in 1940s rig and having a sing-song and a cup of char.)

I can appreciate the Govt. wants to do the big thing in June/July, to avoid having two commemoratives or upsetting Far East veterans, but the offering from the BBC was rather lame.

Richard

[salientpoints]

You had a worthy trip Kieron indeed.

Now to follow on the other posts, I think that because our involvement was still very much ongoing (i.e. once 8th May came and went it wasn't as if we all went home) I can see the Govt & MOD point in only have the one major week long & commemoration event in July this year.

That said, the fact our PM has sent his under-dogs to do his work when all other world leaders are present at events and i.e. in Moscow is a sham. Its not even as if the Veterans Affairs minister is about that I have seen...

I think we were indeed too low-key and it was a shame. The offerings last night on BBC & ITV (VE Day in Colour) were good imho - at least the BBC in conjunction with the Royal British Legion had the decency to do something.

Still, at least the Queen is in the Channel Islands at the right time

Here's to a National Veterans Week in July to make up for it!

Cheers

Ryan

[Kiwiwriter]

Re-read "The Day the War Ended" by Martin Gilbert and saw a little of George W. Bush at Margraten US Battle Cemetery in The Netherlands. Some of Bill Guarnere's pals from Easy Company ("Band of Brothers") are there, including Bill Dukeman and Ollie Horton. Good place for Bush to be that day. Most of those guys are paratroopers and airmen who fell in Holland and Belgium.

[jamesicus]

Went to church and offered thanksgiving. Spent rest of the day with my family.

Reminisced about VE-Day 1945 -- dancing in the street on Manchester road in front of the Burnley Town Hall.