The Member of Parliament for Mid Sussex, Mims Davies, is supporting the Royal British Legion and their call for nationwide commemoration of service and sacrifice of the entire Second World War generation on the 75th Anniversary of VE Day.
At 11am on 8th May the Legion is encouraging people across all generations and communities to take part in a national moment of Remembrance and pause for a Two Minute Silence.
Alongside commemoration events on 8th May, The Royal British Legion has developed a VE Day learning pack which is available online. Designed for 7-14 year olds the pack includes first-hand accounts from the Second World War generation, veteran interviews and range of activities to allow families to explore and commemorate VE Day together.
Commenting the Member of Parliament for Mid Sussex, Mims Davies said:
“I’m so proud to be supporting the Royal British Legion and the VE Day Commemorations. The Second World War Generation gave so much for the freedom we enjoy today and I want to pay personal thanks to them all.
“I would encourage all constituents in Mid Sussex to take part in the two minutes silence on the 8th May and to learn more about VE day too. The Legion have produced an informative learning pack which could make for a useful history lesson during lockdown!”
Also commenting, The Royal British Legion’s Assistant Director of Commemorative Events, Bob Gamble OBE, said:
“As we face some of the most challenging times since the Second World War, now more than ever it is important to unite in recognition of people’s service to the nation, just as communities did 75 years ago.
“There is no right or wrong way to take part in the Silence at 11am, some people may wish to stand at their windows or step outside their front door, but we hope that individuals and families across the UK will embrace the opportunity to share in a national moment of reflection. Then later on we
invite people to open their windows wide and join us to celebrate and give thanks as we singalong to Dame Vera Lynn’s wartime classic, ‘We’ll Meet Again’, which has added poignancy in the current circumstances.
“There are many parallels between the struggles of the Second World War and what we are going through today. As we mark 75 years since Victory in Europe, we look to our Second World War generation to learn from their experiences, and the Legion continues our critical work to protect them from the threat we currently face.”
Ends.
Notes to Editors:
- Members of the public can access the activities at www.rbl.org.uk/veday75 and on social media using #VEDay75 and #VEDay75Live during the livestream on 8th May.
- Attached is a photo of Mims Davies MP with Sir Richard Kleinwort at Armistice Day Commemorations 2019.