CHALLENGE Brits in lockdown joined Katherine Jenkins in a mass concert of “We will see each other” to mark the 75th anniversary of VE day.
NHS staff, pharmacists, veterans and transport workers from across the UK all sang with the national performance of Katherine Jenkin’s war anthems.
It is the first time in 150 years of the history of the Royal Albert Hall that a performance has taken place behind closed doors.
Ms. Jenkins, who virtually duoded with the love forces of 103-year-old Dame Vera as a young woman, wore a flowing red dress and went on stage next to a grand piano.
The classical singer described the event, which was broadcast live on YouTube from 6 p.m., as “one of the most incredible experiences of my career.”
Ms. Jenkins said, “I have checked the sound here several times before for my own concerts, so I thought I knew what it would be like today, but it was really something special.
“MAKE HISTORY”
“I am so honored to have been invited to do so and delighted that we are making history – a first for the Royal Albert Hall and for me, of course.
“I was fortunate to participate in the 60th and 70th Victory Day celebrations, so I saw firsthand what these events mean for veterans and their families.”
She said, “We must do everything we can to properly honor this momentous day to the best of our ability under the circumstances and we hope the nation will help us with that.
“I hope you all enjoy and sing! It was an unforgettable day! “
Later that evening, Mrs. Jenkins sang Somewhere Over the Rainbow in the quadrangle of Buckingham Palace before the Queen addressed the nation.
It came as rebel Britons marked the anniversary of VE Day locked out today as RAF Typhoon jets and red arrows hovered over the UK.
Families and neighbors were in good spirits as they mark the occasion with socially distant street parties and picnics on their roads after the royal family and the Prime Minister had silence two minutes earlier .
Residents of Novers Park Road in Knowle, Bristol, enjoyed a socially distanced street party, with an abundance of Union Jack flags and banners in the neighborhood.
In Leicestershire, a man played the Last Post in front of his beautifully decorated house, while the rest of his street was silent.
And the neighbors watched Royal Navy veteran Charles Medhurst outside his house in Greenwich during a national silence to remember our fallen heroes.
MOMENT OF SILENCE
Millions of people across the country took a two-minute break at 11 a.m. to remember those who served in World War II – and the price that so many paid for freedom.
The Prince of Wales was joined by the Duchess of Cornwall as he led the moving tribute, laying a wreath on a memorial near Balmoral.
Camilla, 71, paid a floral tribute with a touching handwritten note to her father, Major Bruce Shand, who fought with the 12th Lancers.
It read: “In memory of my dear father, and of all the officers and men of the 12th Lancers, who fought so courageously to give us peace. Camilla. “
During this time, the Prime Minister observed the silence of Downing Street, as well as millions of provocative Britons who quietly reflected on their homes and doors.
Their tributes came after the Red Arrows flew 100 feet above London and the RAF typhoons flew over Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.
The planes took off just after 10 a.m. this morning in London, flying over landmarks such as Buckingham Palace and the London Eye.
Small groups came together to capture the moment – using their daily exercise to share the show.
REMEMBER
On May 8, 1945, fighting ceased as the Germans surrendered to the allies, marking the end of Adolf Hitler’s war and sparking celebrations around the world.
Victory Day – or Victory in Europe Day – honors the occasion every year.
The air parade certainly raised the spirits of the locked-in Britons who mark the occasion under heavy restrictions due to the coronavirus epidemic.
Millions of people have walked through their doors to remember those who fought for them – including Royal Navy veteran Charles Medhurst, who was photographed in front of his decorated home in Greenwich today.
He is one of the “greatest generation” of World War II veterans whose pen and steel will inspire the country to defeat the coronavirus, said the Prime Minister.
In an open letter to the declining band of heroes who defeated Hitler, Mr. Johnson wrote: “On this anniversary, we are engaged in a new fight against the coronavirus which requires the same spirit of national effort as you illustrated. 75 years ago.
“We cannot pay tribute with the parades and street celebrations that we have enjoyed in the past.
“But allow us, your proud compatriots, to be the first to offer our gratitude, our sincere thanks and our solemn commitment: you will always remember us. “
VE Day spot
LADY Vera Lynn said the nation must “remember the brave boys and what they sacrificed for us” before the 75th anniversary of Victory Day, adding that this year’s celebrations “will remind us all that hope remains even in the most difficult times ”.
Johnson sent a separate letter to veteran Don Sheppard, celebrating his 100th birthday at home with his wife in Laindon, Essex, after a big party had to be canceled. He wished her “a good knee as it would be for an old soldier who is still strong”.
He also held a Zoom call with 102-year-old WWII veteran Ernie Horsfall, one of the oldest surviving British soldiers.
Johnson told Ernie – who has seen 25 prime ministers and four British monarchs in his lifetime – that he was “great” and “a credit for his generation.”
PM yesterday observed a minute of silence at Westminster Abbey, honoring those who lost their lives by lighting a candle at the grave of the unknown warrior.
Meanwhile, sailors, soldiers and Royal Marines aboard the support vessel RFA Argus patrolling the Caribbean reported 75 on the flight deck.
The Sun Pub of the Year, the Don War Memorial Bar in Stockton on Tees, joined parties across the country at 2:00 p.m. with a two-hour Facebook song with customers at home. At 3 p.m., there were televised reruns of Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s speech on Victory Day.
When to watch it on TV
BBC1:
10:55 a.m. VE Day 75: The nation remembers. Moment of national commemoration with a silence of two minutes.
2:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. VE Day 75: The announcement of victory. Military music, stories and readings in tribute to the generation of the Second World War
7 p.m. – 8 p.m. The One Show: Alex Jones and his guests celebrate VE Day.
8 p.m. – 9:10 p.m .: Sophie Raworth hosts a musical celebration. Queen’s speech at 9 p.m. and we will meet again at the same time.
9.10-10pm: Julie Walters and David Attenborough are the stars of Remembering Victory.
CHANNEL 5:
7 p.m. – 8 p.m. VE day: The lost movies. Testimonies and cinematographic films.
ITV1:
8 p.m. – 8:30 p.m .: Captain Tom’s War: The brutal “forgotten war” of the Burma campaign.
DISCOVERY CHAIN:
9-10 p.m .:VE Day by Tony Robinson.
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VE day spot
COVID hero 100-year-old Captain Tom Moore met Vera Lynn, whose best-known song invites us to sing together tonight in the Burmese jungle. The Forces sweetheart, now 103, has arrived to cheer up the troops. He said, “It really lifted everyone’s spirits. She was great. ”
And from the balcony of her house in London, Dame Joan Collins was carrying the national toast: “To those who have given so much – we thank you. “
Stay At Home Street parties were held across the UK with socially distant Britons celebrating in their gardens or common areas.
‘NEVER GIVE UP’
Queen brings the nation together with moving television address on the 75th anniversary of Victory Day
SICK SEX ATTACK
Woman raped in park after police arrest three men after passers-by hear screams
‘GUARDIAN ANGEL’
Hero teenager dives into canal to save 15-month-old drowning baby
STAY SAFE
British co-ops flock to parks in 25 ° C heat, but certain lock-in rules remain flouted
The town criers will take to the streets at 6:55 p.m. before the churches ring at 7:00 p.m.
The Queen’s Speech to the Nation ends at 9 p.m. with the BBC holding a national song from Vera Lynn’s classic, we’ll meet again.
The sun says
Someday we will rejoice in the end of the coronavirus nightmare, just as 75 years ago today we celebrated victory over the Nazis. That day, however, seems far away.
It seems even closer to the beginning than to the end. The country is paralyzed, with declining but depressing infections and deaths.
The Bank of England predicts the economy will shrink 14% this year, even if the lockdown ends in June. His forecast for a strong recovery is at the most optimistic end of the spectrum.
There will be little immediate respite from these crippling and tedious restrictions, even if other nations feel able to relax and go about their business.
It is the most serious national crisis in the lives of most British people and the end is not yet in sight.
But let’s not forget today that our oldest generation, the one who needs protection the most now, has suffered greater terrors.
It was their responsibility to repel the Nazi war machine and keep the household fires on.
Through their courage, determination and ingenuity, they and our allies – especially the Americans – triumphed, freeing Europe from fear and the threat of enslavement by Hitler’s racist ideology.
We urge all Sun readers to remember this generation during today’s two minutes of silence and to enjoy a day of VE commemoration on television and online.
One day we will remember the heroes of our own struggle against an invisible and deadly virus: the front line workers of the NHS, those who risk their health to care for the elderly and vulnerable, those who reorganize their business at great cost to produce equipment we need.
But at 11 a.m., let’s remember the generation that preceded us and the six hell years they endured.
In 2020, we suffer and we cry. They were worse.
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As we thank the generation of World War II, put them in the foreground
Oliver Dowden, Secretary of Culture
As we face our own challenges as a society today, I hope we take the time of this special holiday to reflect on what has happened seventy-five years ago to date.
At the time, cheerful crowds poured into the streets to celebrate Winston Churchill’s victory in Europe. The Nazis had been defeated, the Second World War was over, Europe was finally free.
Like many of you, I have a personal family connection to Victory Day – and today the government has put in place a very special program both to honor its 75th anniversary and to thank the older generation. who saved our country from tyranny.
Some of us will have loved ones who have played heroic roles in the military. Who fought dog fights in the air, landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day or helped liberate the concentration camps.
But there were also so many fascinating and poignant stories from the home front – stories of people living their ordinary lives in extraordinary moments. A real struggle for survival. Mothers who put their children on a train without knowing when they would see them again. Families who have crowded into air raid shelters or metro stations to protect themselves, night after night, during the Blitz.
I delved into my family’s experiences of that time. My gran worked in a factory in north London, producing barrage balloons alongside many other young women. Three times the size of cricket grounds, they were suspended above cities with cables underneath to protect them from dive bombers. Using industrial glue was not a pleasant job, but they knew their efforts had saved lives.
My family, like many others, has also experienced unimaginable grief. My paternal grandfather lost his first wife and three children in the Clydebank blitz. With a family now myself, I find it hard to imagine how hard it must have been for him, but you never would have known in his happy way later. Its history has been reproduced in the cities of our country. His generation fought and built the peace and prosperity with which we have been blessed ever since.
This generation was clearly unique and we must honor them by listening to their stories, researching their experiences and passing them on to our children. And this holiday weekend is a great time to call the grandparents and great-grandparents and ask them what they remember, how they fought and how they felt when peace was finally brought declared. Don’t look back in the years to come and wish you never asked. As we thank the generation of World War II, let us put them in the foreground.
And for those whose loved ones are no longer there, we have partnered with Ancestry.co.uk. They made all their UK recordings free so that people could browse their own family ties to war over the weekend.
The commemorations don’t stop there. Today, we will celebrate European Victory Day with a two-minute silence at 11:00 am, led by HRH the Prince of Wales. The red arrows will fly over London and the RAF typhoons over Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, broadcast live on our television screens.
Then, at 9 p.m. this evening, we will listen to Her Majesty the Queen addressing the nation to mark this historic anniversary, before leaving on our doorstep to join the national song of “We will meet again” of Dame Vera Lynn . In the midst of a different national battle against this virus, we will create new memories to honor those who fought for us.
One of the most fitting tributes we can pay to this larger generation is to keep their stories going. Pass on their memories to our children so that the day of victory, the day that brought peace to Britain, will never be forgotten.
Britain is silent to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day
