THE eightieth anniversary of VE — Victory in Europe — Day, on Thursday, should encourage people to think what they will do to construct a greater world, the Archbishop of York has said.
In a video message posted on social media on Wednesday, Archbishop Cottrell said: “We owe an infinite debt of gratitude to the exceptional generation who fought and lived, and plenty of who died, through the Second World War.
“I still remember, growing up, my parents and my grandparents telling me not only their stories about their experiences, but what it was like on that first 8 May, the good outpouring of joy that they knew, and in addition the good hopes that they’d for constructing a greater 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 could be necessary, that they will remind us each of the sacrifices that others have made for us and of what we will do to construct a greater world. I invite you now to affix me in praying for peace in our world today.”
The anniversary of VE Day is being marked over 4 days this week, concluding on Thursday with a Service of Thanksgiving in Westminster Abbey (News 5 March). The King and Queen are attributable 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 Nineteen Forties outside St George’s, Newcastle, on the weekend as a part of the town’s celebration to mark the eightieth 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 press release 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 girls
who’ve died in energetic service,
particularly within 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 might be the source of life and hope,
now and perpetually.
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 primary VE Day. It relies on based on research carried out by the Surrey History Centre and the archives of churches within the diocese.
