THE 80th anniversary of VE — Victory in Europe — Day, on Thursday, should encourage people to think what they can do to build a better world, the Archbishop of York has said.
In a video message posted on social media on Wednesday, Archbishop Cottrell said: “We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the exceptional generation who fought and lived, and many who died, during the Second World War.
“I still remember, growing up, my parents and my grandparents telling me not just their stories about their experiences, but what it was like on that first 8 May, the great outpouring of joy that they knew, and also the great hopes that they had for building a better world: a world of justice and a world of peace. We need that hope today.
“So, in these difficult times, I hope these acts of remembrance can be important, that they can remind us both of the sacrifices that others have made for us and of what we can do to build a better world. I invite you now to join me in praying for peace in our world today.”
The anniversary of VE Day is being marked over four days this week, concluding on Thursday with a Service of Thanksgiving in Westminster Abbey (News 5 March). The King and Queen are due to attend, alongside the Prince and Princess of Wales. The service, at noon, is to be broadcast on BBC1. Archbishop Cottrell will preach. On Thursday evening, the King and Queen will attend a celebratory VE Day concert at Horse Guards Parade, Buckingham Palace said.
AlamyThe Darling Dollies perform songs from the 1940s outside St George’s, Newcastle, at the weekend as part of the city’s celebration to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day
Cathedral Chapters, including those of St Albans, Carlisle, Durham, and Truro, have announced plans to mark the anniversary, including commemorative services of choral evensong on Thursday evening, celebratory lunches, and floodlighting in red, white, and blue.
At 6.30 p.m. on VE Day, bells will ring out from churches and cathedrals, “echoing the sounds that swept across the country in 1945 . . . as a collective act of thanksgiving”, a statement from Church House, Westminster, said (News, 2 May).
A prayer has been published on the C of E’s social-media accounts, which says:
O God of truth and justice,
we hold before you those men and women
who have died in active service,
particularly in the Second World War,
whose sacrifice brought Victory in Europe.
As we honour their courage
and cherish their memory,
may we put our faith in your future;
for you are the source of life and hope,
now and forever.
Amen
The diocese of Guildford has published an account of the contribution that churches in Surrey made to the war effort and to marking the first VE Day. It is based on based on research carried out by the Surrey History Centre and the archives of churches in the diocese.