In case this wasn't spotted elsewhere.. "The 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day will be commemorated on Friday 8 May and the following weekend, Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 May this year..". http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/about-us/news/remembrance/legion-to-play-role-in-ve-day-70-events best
Just as the UK General Election results are announced plus any Government / Ministerial changes .... so more than likely the V.E. commemorations will be 3rd on the news at best.
In France May 8th is a public holiday, I have since living here in France, wondered why it is not the same in the UK, there seems to be nothing to mark such a memorable date - is it me, is it the British stiff upper lip, or something else. I know that there was another big day in August as well (VJ Day) so was it that no one could decide which one to have (or both) as a public holiday, there was enough public holidays anyway, or was it that people wanted to 'move on' ?????? :mellow: TD
good day bexley84.very senior member.yesterday.07:36 pm.re:VE-DAY.thank you for the reminder.in my case,my ship had just come from the pacific and had been in N.Y.one day.when they announced that ve- day had arrived,a great day,thank you for posting regards bernard85.
A great shame that it's not a regular public holiday too in the UK... Victory in Europe Day 2018 and 2019 - PublicHolidays.fr Has a summary: "It is the day that commemorates the end of World War II, specifically in Europe. World War II lasted from 1 September, 1939, to 8 May, 1945. This war engaged over 100-million people serving in the military. Casualties of the war rose to an estimate of 70-million people, with approximately 6-million perishing in Adolf Hitler’s holocaust – where Hitler attempted to purify the German race by destroying the Jewish population in gas chambers. On 8 May, 1945, just weeks after Hitler committed suicide, Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allied forces. Victory in Europe Day is celebrated all over Europe, and in other places around the world, and is called VE Day in some places. In France, it is a day of celebration and remembrance with church services, ceremonies and parades. French flags fly from the tops of poles everywhere and the air force thunders overhead in dramatic flyovers. Wreaths are laid during the ceremonies at monument aux morts in each village, town and city. Being a national holiday, schools, post offices, banks, businesses, shops and many restaurants are closed. The streets are full of people attending parades and the red, white and blue of the French flag is everywhere. Later in the day the French do what they do best… wine and food. In Reims, Champagne, the city where Germany signed its surrender, the local meals focus on ham and game, washed down, of course, with champagne. Chaource is a soft white cheese produced in the area and a specialty on the tables of the French late in the day. And a popular sweet finish is the Biscuit Rose de Reims, a pink biscuit that is crunchy and is dipped in champagne."
Tuesday 8 May 1945 was Victory in Europe (VE) Day, and it marked the formal conclusion of Hitler's war. With it came the end of six years of misery, suffering, courage and endurance across the world. BBC - History - VE Day (pictures, video, facts & news)
As Maurice Chevalier famously once sang in the film "Gigi", " I remember it well" BBC - WW2 People's War - The War Ends in Italy, 2nd May 1945 Ron
The problem I find today is that many just consider now another day off, this week today is a holiday then also Thursday the 10th is a holiday for 'Ascension' so really theres no point in working at all this week. When I first lived here days like today were reverred and there was absolute silence except and for church bells and the odd car every shop etc was closed , but today lawns are being cut and edges strimmed, at least the shops stay closed but I guess thats progress TD
Amsterdam May 7th, 1945 Lt.-Col. H.P. Bell-Irving, the commander of the Seaforth Highlanders, described the response to their entry into Amsterdam as "an ecstasy which I have never seen even approached in any crowd before. Before this, few of our men could have given a clear reason why they came." It changed on that day in Amsterdam, "Every life lost, every long day away from home, had been spent in a good and necessary endeavour." (Reginald H. Roy, The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada 1919-1965, Evergreen Press, 1969)
Re... Victory in Europe Day 2018 and 2019 - PublicHolidays.fr I did wonder if the "World War II lasted from 1 September, 1939, to 8 May, 1945" bit were just a typo, or evidence that the VE day sentiment in France really meant that on 8th May 1945, WW2 was actually over. Anyhow just to see what the wiki had to say... World War II - Wikipedia And in one bit it opts for: “World War II (often abbreviated to WWII or WW2), also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although related conflicts began earlier.” Or in another bit: "Date 1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945 (6 years and 1 day)" Perhaps "related conflicts continued on even after 2nd September 1945" - might be added too. Would be nice to see a bit more made of VE day though in the UK - although "closing every shop" doesn't seem like what we'd be doing in the UK even were this so ;-)
Lloyd Swick Age 96 platoon commander Calgary Highlanders The War is Over - Video Gallery - Veterans Affairs Canada
One of most moving passages about VE Day I've read - by the men who were there. 'The Story of the Twenty-third Hussars', pages 251 and 252.
Harkness My diary reminds me how similar the end of hostilities were both in Germany & italy ! Wednesday 2nd. May 1945 Jerry threw his hand in Italy and Austria. Fired all our 2" mortars, phosphorous bombs and verey lights and had bonfires all over the shop. Cease fire about 11 pm. ( At noon today the Germans signed an unconditional surrender at Caserta) Ron
Ron, An unforgettable day/night. This is the 23rd Hussars, C Squadron bonfire at Niendorf, on the Baltic coast:
Harkness et al To be completely truthful, the fact that we had been told that ,after midnight (and from thence forth) we would have to account for all of our ammo might have influenced our actions Ron
We've returned to the UK now, after 16 years in SW France. I had an email from some friends there to say they had their usual celebrations at the War Memorial ( about 3 members of the commune of 100 approx. gave their lives, many more in WW1). All sang la Marseillaise, then joined for the 'glass that cheers' in the Hall. There are still a few elderly people there who nurse their 'wounds' from those days.
