VE Day - 70th Anniversary

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paulgs1000

Elite
 Newcastle upon Tyne
I was born in 1957 and grew up with the Valiant and Victor comics and war films. I can't comprehend that it's now 70 years since the end of the War in Europe.

I grew up with people around me who had served or experienced the Second World War - it's very nearly the end of a living part of history.

Will it begin to feel like the First World War?

Quite a change in the world since so many laid down their lives for freedom . . . . .

A good thing to have a time set aside to remember.
 
Yes two-fold really. Its good thats its now becoming way back in history but on the flip side, it makes it too easy to forget what some people sacrificed for our peace and democracy now.

Ironically, i went to a talk at my sons school on Friday evening by an 86 year old, Polish survivor of the Concentration camps. Very interesting and his comments are that if people forget the horrors, barbaric acts will happen again all too soon.

I also thought lastnights BBC1 VE Day Party with Chris Evans was fantastic, especially for the older generations, to whom it all meant a lot more.

I came across this new bench in our local park recently and thought it was great. I just hope nobody is stupid enough to vandalise it..

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I expect it will fade more quickly in non occupied countries such as the UK as there was less impact to an extend on the actual people in the country, i.e. there were never German boots on the ground. The military of course is a different matter and the relatives of them.

For ordinary people in the war like my family it is more "alive" as such, with my grandfather having been in a Dutch concentration camp for speaking out against the Germans (he was a reverend), with Jews being hidden in my grandparents house, with my other grandfather having his factory occupied by the Germans, my uncle having to hide under the floor boards as he was a young teenager which the Germans were targeting. My parents having seen the German bodies float in the canals in Delft. I have heard enough of the stories in general and regularly having a look at some of the relics that the Canadians gave my dad during the liberation - the stories are too vivid to forget.

I expect it will be the generation in the future that will no longer want to remember.
 
I came across this new bench in our local park recently and thought it was great. I just hope nobody is stupid enough to vandalise it..

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Great Bench, let's hope it's respected. :thumbsup:

Agree with you paulgs100, I too was born in 1957 (a good year) only 12 years after the war and grew up with grandparents and others relating their wartime stories. Sheffield because of the steelworks was of course along with other major cities a big target and was badly hit.

A lot of our games we played when kids were WW11 war games (sticks as guns) and throwing stones as hand grenades.
 
"I expect it will fade more quickly in non occupied countries such as the UK as there was less impact to an extend on the actual people in the country, i.e. there were never German boots on the ground"

Rest assured Mr PVR it will NOT fade despite there being no German boots on the ground.
 
pvr said:
I expect it will fade more quickly in non occupied countries such as the UK as there was less impact to an extend on the actual people in the country, i.e. there were never German boots on the ground. The military of course is a different matter and the relatives of them.

For ordinary people in the war like my family it is more "alive" as such, with my grandfather having been in a Dutch concentration camp for speaking out against the Germans (he was a reverend), with Jews being hidden in my grandparents house, with my other grandfather having his factory occupied by the Germans, my uncle having to hide under the floor boards as he was a young teenager which the Germans were targeting. My parents having seen the German bodies float in the canals in Delft. I have heard enough of the stories in general and regularly having a look at some of the relics that the Canadians gave my dad during the liberation - the stories are too vivid to forget.

I expect it will be the generation in the future that will no longer want to remember.
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It was hearing accounts of events such as this that made the Second World War so much a part of my early life. Since then such first hand accounts have become secondary sources and it's this, plus the sad coming to an end of a generation that lived and died during the war, that I was alluding too in my original post.

I wonder if, as that generation sadly dies out, there will be a different feeling about the Second World War? Despite my engagement and feelings regarding this period in history, it is noticeable that all my childrens' responses and understandings don't have the profound meaning as those felt by me.

It was deeply moving to see the veterans filing across Horse Guards Parade this morning.
 
halifaxbantam said:
"I expect it will fade more quickly in non occupied countries such as the UK as there was less impact to an extend on the actual people in the country, i.e. there were never German boots on the ground"

Rest assured Mr PVR it will NOT fade despite there being no German boots on the ground.
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I think the impact on mainland UK was very different, not necessarily diminished through not being occupied, (not forgetting the Channel Islands of course) but rather taking a different form.

However, I often think of the memorial in the Chapel at Eden Camp (the ex Italian Prison of War camp) which numbers the millions of lives lost in each country. As a proportion of population some of the countries numbers are profoundly shocking.

I would hope that it remains a deeply meaningful part of our (and world) history.
 
Great bench, wonder how long it will stay looking like that.

Came across this sculpture of "TOMMY" on Seaham sea front at Easter. Its about 10foot tall. I got emotional just looking at it :oops:

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I am disappointed that the annual school trips to Le Somme are no longer happening. To me that is a sign that things are changing for the current school children and their teachers.
 
paulgs1000 said:
I was born in 1957 and grew up with the Valiant and Victor comics and war films.
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My goodness the memories just flood back. I used to have Victor every week, used to love Alf Tupper. If I was behaving myself I'd also get the latest Commando book too. I'm a 1960 vintage.

I watched the VE Day celebrations on BBC1 this morning and found it all very moving. Was I the only person who thought that Mr Cameron was being (probably unintentionally) rude by gossiping to the person standing next to him throughout the march past? I admit my eyes welled up near the end of the march past when one of the wheelchair veterans insisted on getting up and walking to Prince Charles to shake his hand.

I understand that this summer there will be some 75th anniversary celebrations of the Battle of Britain to look forward to.
 
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