Seventy-five years ago, we celebrated Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) when fighting in Europe against Nazi Germany came to an end in World War Two.  To allow the country to reflect on the legacy that this event left behind the May Day Bank Holiday moved this year from the 1st to the 8th of May.  A historic event that has only occurred once before.  It was moved in 1995 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of V.E Day. In a year of unprecedented events this change in date seems unsurprising and yet it is important not to lose sight of the significance of V.E Day. Millions of people lost family members while others remained prisoners of war abroad. The expense of the war meant that hardships not known before endured for months if not years following this day through clothing and food rationing.

It would be unforgivable to undervalue the lasting significance of the heroic people who were involved with V.E day however, it is also an opportunity to reflect on parallels between now and then.  A timeline embodied by Colonel Tom a World War Two veterans who raised over £29m for the NHS by doing lapse of his garden. As V.E day is kept alive in our collective memory so will the circumstances of the present for future generations.  The course of history may not change long term as it did after World War Two but the impact on our daily lifestyle and freedoms both short-term and intermediate as we embark on lockdown relaxation are being felt by many and will be critically looked back on in the future. From all significant events arise heroes and emotional times. The heroes of today being our key workers especially the NHS who we unite to recognise every Thursday and who prevents the sacrifices we make and feel from being higher than it already is. As we partially keep alive the end of World War Two to ensure it never happens again, we will on a worldwide scale examine this time in the hope of preventing a pandemic in the future. Lastly, as V.E Day marked the milestone of victory for Europe it did not mean the end of World War Two nor does the relaxing of lockdown mean the end of the coronavirus. Words from Winston Churchill’s speech on V.E day remain relevant today: “We may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing but let us not forget for a moment the toil and efforts that lie ahead.”