VE Day “celebrations”

My father too was in the Royal Navy and fighting against the Japanese until VJ Day. The experiences he had there stayed with him all his life, and I am quite sure that he would not be 'celebrating' the anniversary of either VE Day or VJ Day. I would not be attending any sort of party or putting up decorations if things were as they were 3 months ago, but I doubt if there would have been much 'celebrating' around here anyway.

Am I alone in feeling, cynically, that this is a diversion from the current mess we're in by stirring up a bit of jingoism? I agree with you, GillT57 about the unpleasantness of triumphalism.

We need to work much more closely with other countries around the world, whatever the history between us, to find solutions to the problems we have, not only coronavirus but also climate change and the loss of biodiversity. We cannot afford to indulge in exceptionalism - we may be fortunate in relation to many places, but we are not exceptional.

Saw a short programme about VE day last night. How grateful we should all be we don't have to live through what those people both in the forces and civilian life had to endure for years. Goodness, the moaning going on about not being able to go about our daily life due to Covid-19 puts us to shame and its been only 6 weeks. I will observe the 1 minute silence but that will be all.

I'm going with my mam's thoughts. She was 11 in 1945. She doesn't believe we should celebrate VE day because it wasn't the end of the war. In fact she's not really happy about any war 'celebrations'. It brings back all her bad memories and causes nightmares.

My dad was serving on one of the ships that brought the European women home. He rarely spoke about it but said that Tenko wasn't accurate as the actresses weren't thin enough and wore proper clothes.

Yes, you are being unreasonable. I think the current situation shouldn't stop us from remembering and thanking. In fact, I think it's made it even more important! We're only being asked to stay at home, keep six feet apart from each other. I'll be glad to sit in my front garden on Friday, more than six feet away from my neighbours doing the same, eating nice food and being mighty thankful it's not a concentration camp I'm sat in.

To celebrate Anzac Day 25th April, here in Melbourne Australia, many streets' residents stood in their driveways, with or without a candle at 6.00am to remember our war dead. Some areas had someone who could play the Last Post, and Reveille, others played it on a radio etc. No party, but remembering together

We will have a cup of tea and a cake in the street in the afternoon and I will remember my parents who served in the navy and RAF and members of the family I never met because they were killed in the war. Lots of people will have their own memories at this time. We will listen to the queen at 9 pm - I will look out, but am not expecting to sing "we'll meet again - Hope you all enjoy your celebrations.

I have rainbow card arriving on Wednesday. I will make bunting with it and put in trees around my mooring. I will, of course, acknowledge the two minutes silence.

I'm not sure that VE Day was really glorifying war as such, but rather celebrating the end of the war in Europe. If we can't remember and be thankful to all the souls who lost their lives during that dreadful war then surely they died in vain?
I'm well aware that fighting was still continuing in the Far East, and many atrocities took place. These people, too, need to be remembered for the sacrifices they made and appalling suffering they endured, and agree that the war did not really end until VJ Day. However, people in Europe were tired and war torn and probably needed to voice their relief in whatever way they could, including going out into the streets to celebrate its end there. Many will have suffered loss and grief, but the celebrations will have been, I'm sure, a kind of brief release from the horrors endured every day for 6 years.

if it wasn’t for people giving their lives for us we would all be all be speaking German. This statement is exactly why I will not be flag waving. I shall remember those in my family who lost their lives, but seriously uncomfortable with triumphalism such as this.

If you weren't there at the time, it will be hard to understand the sense of relief that the war in Europe was over, that Hitler was overthrown and that 'we' had done it. Remember that the two princesses, Elizabeth and Margaret, escaped from the Palace that day to join the celebrating crowds in London. He Majesty had been through many crises since then but I am sure that she will have nothing but celebratory memories of that day.
I was only four and a half but shared in the celebratory mood, as that was what the day was all about. My sister and I had white Viyella dresses embroidered by our mum with little union flags. Our dad had mounted a big flag in front of our house. We went to watch a parade on the prom near the war memorial and saw our dad heading his Home Guard detachment - our very own Captain Mainwaring! 'Daddy's Army' indeed. He had been in a reserved occupation making explosives. Another thing I do remember about that day was that I had my first ever ice cream cone!

No, you are not being unreasonable.

I’ve never felt comfortable with jingoistic flag waving and celebrating the waste of people’s lives - even less so seeing the damage right wing governments are doing and the blatant hypocrisy and nauseating sycophancy.

I remember the unpopular wars, the ones people were forced or conned into.

This treating a virus like a battle and Johnson’s sickening claim that his ‘terrible buoyancy’ saved him - is horrific. So the 30,000 dead aren’t a result of a decimated NGS and a policy of silence about the spread of CV19 back in yes, 2019, they just didn’t float properly, weren’t unrealistically optimistic enough?!

Gross. As bad as Trump with his obvious signs and symptoms of tertiary syphilis.

When we stop being lied to in order to involve us in fraudulent wars, I’ll celebrate.

Until then, forget tribalism and get global.

My family (before I was born) were in the same situation as yours. My father was serving in the RAF in Burma, and my mother's brother was in the Navy in the far east. My father came home after VJ day, my uncle died. VE day was not a celebration for my mother.
Anyway, why are we still glorifying war?

Personally I will take my bagpipes to a very small, very local cemetery and play at 3pm. Probably no one around, unless there is a funeral going on, in which case I will time my playing to suit the occasion. In this cemetery there are three commonwealth graves, the white Portland stone ones, two for WWI and one for WW2, but I will mostly be thinking of the lads who didn’t come back from “down south” with me in 1982. Not a celebration, more a commemoration, although were it not for coronavirus I would have been in parade that morning and at a local war memorial for the 3pm pipe but I cannot justify travelling that far in the circumstances

Of course we should celebrate - there’s little else to do at the moment. For goodness sake, if it wasn’t for people giving their lives for us we would all be speaking German, and have nothing to celebrate.

My uncle had been recently killed in Burma so that generation of my family never saw much to celebrate. I have been wondering whether it is appropriate in this day and age and what with the current situation I can't find any enthusiasm for a celebration. People are not only sick and dying, many others are losing or have lost their jobs.

I will observe the two minutes silence but no flag waving

Yes Chewbacca, I agree. Until this pandemic we weren't all that close a community but we've pulled together and supported each other.

We are having two minutes silence outside our homes at 11am on Friday to remember those who have paid the ultimate price for our liberty in all conflicts. Equally, we all acknowledge Remembrance Day too.

On Fridays afternoon we will be flying our flags to celebrate our liberty even though many of us have lost loved ones in many periods of conflict. We see no harm in a picnic tea and a little music.

I know, for many that were fighting in the Far East, there was nothing to celebrate at the time but VE Day did give some light at the end of a very long, arduous tunnel.

However GN members spend their day on Friday, bless you all, stay strong, stay healthy but do give thanks for your liberty.

No Vegansrock- you are not being unreasonable at all.
My father was a Japanese POW in Burma- on the railway & in Changi jail.
My poor Grandmother had to watch everyone celebrating
'the end of the war' when it was many months before these men were brought home. They had to come by boat so they could be 'fed up' before their relatives could see them as they weighed about 4-5 stone by that time having been systematically starved & abused.
There was no celebration for them & never a word since.
He never talked about his experiences as it was drilled into them on the boat on the way home NOT to tell their families as it would 'upset them'. He never spoke about it until he was very old but had nightmares for years. He had no bitterness at all- it was not in his nature- a kind gentle man.
If they celebrate VE day then they should also celebrate VJ day.
I for one will not be joining in the street party our road are planning.

I will quietly remember all those who served and those who lost their lives but will not be out celebrating in the street

I am with Harrigran on this. I have always felt uncomfortable with braying nationalism and flag waving. Quiet thanks and appreciation for what people sacrificed and suffered, but I feel that this may be hijacked and become a 'we won the war' type event. I appreciate this will not be what happens everywhere, and many will use it as an opportunity to spend a happy hour or two with their neighbours, but I will not be outside flag waving, no bunting.

I’ve knitted a red white and blue scarf for my teddy that I put in the window when the children were all doing Bear Hunts. The teddies have also had a Teddy Bears Picnic and worn yellow and rainbow colours. It’s great fun !

Children across the road from us have done a flyer and posted through doors. Seems curmudgeonly not to respond. so we shall be sitting awkwardly in front garden with a picnic. We cannot complain that children are lacking in initiative and have no sense of history, then snub them when they do show both imho.

It feels crass when so many are still dying including, the last time I looked 171 NHS and other medical staff had died. Just to see how badly our healthcare professionals have been treated I have just seen a chart which shows that per million population deaths of healthcare workers are 1.57 Italy, 1.31 U.K., 0.53 Spain, 0.26 France
How is the U.K. not simply outraged by this?

I won't be taking part but atm anything that makes some people feel better is probably worthwhile.

My mam doesn't want to celebrate until VJ day because although many younger people think of VE as the end of the war, it wasn't. She remembers celebrating at the time but she also remembers that many were still fighting in the Far East and thinks that we should celebrate the 75th anniversary of when it was truly not nearly over.

If I were to imagine I had died fighting in WW2 but I was able to see that people 75 years later were celebrating VE Day I would be so happy (a far fetched scenario I know ??)

Same here harrygran.