After checking with the Ministry of Food that there were enough beer supplies in London, Sir Winston Churchill went on air to deliver one of his famous rousing speeches. He announced that General Alfred Jodl signed the Act of Unconditional Surrender. The Nazi enemy had been defeated in Europe.
The ecstatic listeners were told that there was still work to do since Japan had not surrendered. However, May 8 and 9 would be days of jubilation. Peace had returned to the European continent.
He spoke of “gratitude to our splendid Allies... in this island and throughout the British Empire.” He ended his speech with a rallying cry: “Advance, Britannia! Long live the cause of freedom! God save the King!”
This newspaper was equally delighted at the prospect of victory. It carried the headline: ‘Germany Out! Unconditional Surrender. Today’ VE’ Day in Europe.’
The feeling of relief is palpable in the contemporary newspaper records; the Archbishop orders all churches to ring their bells for half an hour and for the Te Deum to be sung in thanksgiving.
There are, however, some signs of the challenges ahead. The collection on the following Pentecost Sunday went in aid of the Red Cross. The Times of Malta editorial hints at the challenges that the post-War challenges:
“The peoples of Europe are now free from the scourge of Nazism, but the continent lies stricken and scarred, with a gigantic task facing the victors, the rehabilitation of millions of people who have been under the German heel, some of them for well over five years.”
VE Day was marked in various ways throughout the world. Thousands gave thanks for peace; in London, St Paul’s Cathedral organised 10 services of thanksgiving – with the Cathedral packed for each one of these services. Street parties and celebratory events were held all across the British Empire.
London was the centre of such celebrations. Crowds gathered at The Mall to cheer and celebrate. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth made eight appearances on that famous balcony; sometimes in the company of their daughters, the princesses Elizabeth and Margaret and, on one occasion, with Sir Winston Churchill.
That evening, the two princesses were allowed to join the happy crowds incognito. Elizabeth, now the reigning monarch, would later recall that it was one of the most memorable nights of her life.
Seventy-five years removed from the day, the temptation is to adopt two attitudes: that of nostalgia or that of indifference.
Malta, being part of the British Empire, stood with the Allies and supported the Allied effort. This effort is one we should be proud of; it was not a war we had no business in, nor was its outcome indifferent to our fate. The Europe we currently belong to was one which could only come about if the Allied Forces emerged victorious.
Those unsure of this need only read a contribution by Joseph Ratzinger – later Pope Benedict XVI – who was forced to enrol in the Hitler Youth despite coming from a family which deeply resented Nazism. He would later desert the army.
He recalls the horrors of the Nazi dictatorship in his ‘Last Testament’ published after he relinquished the papacy: “As long as you had to fear that the Third Reich could win, it was clear that everything, all of life, would then be destroyed.”
Seventy-five years removed from the day, the temptation is to adopt two attitudes: that of nostalgia or that of indifference- André Debattista
On the 60th anniversary of the Allied landing in Normandy, he reflected further on these events. He was thankful that Europe was delivered from Nazism: “We Germans, too, give thanks that by this action, freedom, law and justice would be restored to us. If nowhere else in history, here clearly is a case where, in the form of the Allied invasion, a justum bellum (just war) worked, ultimately, for the benefit of the very country against which it was waged.”
The peace obtained through this war is not one which should leave us cold or indifferent. This – the greatest of generations – still inspires our generation.
Firstly, many of us were privileged to know servicemen who took part in this war. Sadly, their numbers are now dwindling. However, their modesty, their discipline and their sense of duty never fail to inspire. On a personal level, it was the honour of my life to have two such servicemen for grandparents. I will treasure their memory until my last breath.
Secondly, this generation is capable of remarkable action in the face of adversity. In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, centenarian Captain Tom Moore raised over £32 million in aid for the NHS. His birthday was marked with an RAF flypast over his house.
In 2019, 94-year old Harry Billinge raised thousands of pounds to honour his fallen comrades in Normandy. In a recent interview, he spoke on the need to draw people together “and realise that we don’t live just for ourselves but for other people”.
Queen Elizabeth II served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service as a mechanic and driver. Her quiet style – devoid of the vulgar exuberance and cringe-worthy over-sharing of most contemporary leaders – is refreshing. It always strikes the right tone and it never oversteps the mark.
Thirdly, the peace we have today would not have been possible had it not been for this generation. Cardinal Ratzinger’s reflection rings true: “To Europe was given, after 1945, a period of peace of such duration as our continent had never seen in its entire history.”
Had the voices of appeasement won, Europe today would be a darker place to live in. This peace would have been impossible had it not been for so many people who put their lives on the line. To them, we owe our thanks and admiration.
André DeBattista is an independent researcher in politics.