Serving personnel reflect on what VE Day 80 means to them as royals gather for service
It is vital to commemorate VE Day because the generation is leaving us, and we should remember their stories, a serving member of the Armed Forces has said.
BFBS Forces News spoke to two members of the current Armed Forces, who had relatives involved in the Second World War, about their views on VE Day and the importance of remembering such an occasion.
Flying Officer Aaron Marshall, Station Adjutant, RAF High Wycombe, spoke in front of the Cenotaph, which was draped in Union Flags, saying that the next generation needs to learn about those who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Second World War.
They spoke just ahead of the service at Westminster Abbey, which will mark 80 years to the day since VE Day.
"I think it's vital because we're at the point where that generation is slowly passing away and those stories shouldn't be lost," Fg Off Marshall said.
"We should definitely remember them.
"I think it's important for the next generation to understand the ultimate sacrifice that was given."
He revealed that his grandfather and grandmother on his mother's side, Ronald and Barbara Hunt, served in the conflict and met on Brighton Pier before his grandfather went off to war.
His grandfather, who joined the paratroopers, was sent off to Palestine during World War Two, while his grandmother worked as a nurse in the Red Cross.
Later, after the war, the pair got married and lived in Hemel Hempstead.
He said that his grandfather did not tell him about the war often.
"My grandfather didn't really talk about the war that much afterwards," Fg Offr Marshall added.
"Whatever he did over there and the sacrifices he made, he kept to himself."
Similarly, Lieutenant Morris RN, an F-35 pilot in 207 Squadron based at RAF Marham, had relatives who served during World War Two.
Lt Morris said two of his grandparents were in the Royal Navy.
Roger Morris, Lt Morris' paternal grandfather, was an 18-year-old Midshipman who was first drafted onto HMS Rodney in 1944.
He was a gunnery officer during her bombardment of Normandy during the D-Day landings and saw the landings at Sword Beach.
Meanwhile, Lt Morris' maternal grandmother, Ruth Fitzgerald, was a plotter at Admiralty House, Plymouth, where she was deployed in the planning of coastal defence operations against the U-boat threat and for D-Day.
Lt Morris emphasised the importance of marking VE Day, saying: "I think it's extremely important, especially with what's going on around the world at the moment," he added.
"It's a reminder that it's not a particularly safe space."
Both personnel were invited to attend the service in central London.
The Westminster Abbey service follows a military parade and flypast in the capital, as well as other events, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day across the UK this week.
A concert on Horse Guards Parade will come later in the evening.
The stars of the stage and screen, including Samantha Barks, Fleur East, John Newman and Freya Ridings will perform and tell the story of the war's end.
Related topics
Join Our Newsletter
