VE Day 80th anniversary ceremony to begin with flypast and military procession in central London – live

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The British public is largely unaware of the contribution made by soldiers from Commonwealth countries such as Jamaica and Kenya to the second world war, research has found, as campaigners say greater recognition of the diversity of those who fought against fascism will strengthen national unity.

Community affairs correspondent Chris Osuh writes:

Before the 80th anniversary of VE Day on 8 May, a FocalData poll for the thinktank British Future, which works to highlight integration, found “a strong public appetite” for greater awareness and teaching in schools of the diversity of the war effort – but a lack of knowledge about the contribution of Black and Asian personnel.

The research found 86% of respondents agreed “all those who fought for Britain in the world wars, regardless of where they came from” should be commemorated and 77% felt remembering the “shared wartime history” of British and Commonwealth troops could help build cohesion in today’s “multi-ethnic society”.

But only 24% of respondents were aware troops from Jamaica and Kenya fought for Britain, while only 34% were aware of Muslim soldiers’ contributions and only 43% knew about the service of Sikh personnel.

The findings of the poll, from a representative sample of 1,079 adults, come as the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) urges people to reflect on the “loss of so many from across the globe” this VE Day, which marks the official surrender of Nazi Germany.

Read the full story here.

Garrison Sergeant Major Vern Stokes, who is in charge of the VE Day military procession, said the participation of Ukrainian and Nato troops is a reminder that “allies really do matter”.

He told BBC Breakfast that it is “right” for Ukrainian and Nato troops to take part in the procession in central London, where from midday 1,300 people will march along The Mall.

He said: “Eighty years ago we were stronger together and today we are stronger together, and it’s just a reminder for us that allies really do matter and it’s nice for them to be able to take part.”

Calling veterans the “VVIPs”, he added: “Today is very much their day and we’re very proud to be able to honour them.”

Eighty years after Winston Churchill addressed the nation from Downing Street with the words “This is your victory!” a recitation of his famous VE Day speech will be broadcast as the nation commemorates the day the Allies formally accepted Germany’s surrender in 1945.

The actor Timothy Spall, who portrayed Churchill in the film The King’s Speech, will read extracts from the wartime prime minister’s VE Day broadcast on Monday, as the Normandy veteran Alan Kennett, 100, formally starts the procession.

In Whitehall the Cenotaph has been draped in a large Union flag, with the south and north face of the landmark covered. It is the first time the war memorial has been draped in Union flags since it was unveiled by King George V more than a century ago, in 1920.

Crowds have started to gather on The Mall, with some arriving on Sunday evening to secure a good viewing spot.

Alan Kennett, a 100-year-old Normandy veteran, will start the procession in London which is set to march down Whitehall, through Admiralty Arch and up The Mall towards Buckingham Palace.

The King, Queen, Keir Starmer and second world war veterans will be on a platform on the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace. Members of the royal family are later expected to make an appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch the RAF flypast.

On VE Day 1945, the then Princess Elizabeth, dressed in her Auxiliary Territorial Service uniform, slipped out of the palace and joined the cheering crowds outside incognito. She once described it as “one of the most memorable nights of my life”. Following her death in 2022, this year will be the first landmark VE Day commemoration without any of the royals who stood on the balcony that day.

A Nato detachment, which will also include personnel from Poland, Lithuania and Sweden, will march in the procession wearing the uniforms of their respective nations under the Nato flag.

Representatives of the Ukrainian military, selected from the UK armed forces’ training programme for Ukrainian recruits Operation Interflex, will also take part.

The Cenotaph on Whitehall. Photograph: Lucy North/PA

What is VE Day?

Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) on 8 May 1945 was the day the allies accepted Nazi Germany’s surrender in the war in Europe. The war in the East did not end until 15 August 1945, when Japan surrendered on a day celebrated as Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day).

At 3pm BST Winston Churchill spoke to the nation and announced that Germany had signed an unconditional surrender of all German land, sea and air forces in Europe to the Allied Expeditionary Forces and Soviet High Command. “Hostilities will end officially at one minute after midnight tonight,” he said.

Later he made another speech, to cheering crowds, after he had made his way down Whitehall and on to the balcony of the ministry of health. Crowds had massed in Trafalgar Square and along the Mall to Buckingham Palace.

My dear friends, this is your hour. This is not victory of a party or of any class. It’s a victory of the great British nation as a whole. We were the first, in this ancient island, to draw the sword against tyranny. After a while we were left all alone against the most tremendous military power that has been seen. We were all alone for a whole year.

“There we stood, alone. Did anyone want to give in? Were we down-hearted?

“The lights went out and the bombs came down. But every man, woman and child in the country had no thought of quitting the struggle. London can take it.

“So we came back after long months from the jaws of death, out of the mouth of hell, while all the world wondered. When shall the reputation and faith of this generation of English men and women fail?

“I say that in the long years to come not only will the people of this island but of the world, wherever the bird of freedom chirps in human hearts, look back to what we’ve done and they will say: ‘Do not despair, do not yield to violence and tyranny, march straightforward and die if need be-unconquered.’

“Now we have emerged from one deadly struggle – a terrible foe has been cast on the ground and awaits our judgment and our mercy.

“But there is another foe who occupies large portions of the British Empire, a foe stained with cruelty and greed – the Japanese. I rejoice we can all take a night off today and another day tomorrow.

“Tomorrow our great Russian allies will also be celebrating victory and after that we must begin the task of rebuilding our hearth and homes, doing our utmost to make this country a land in which all have a chance, in which all have a duty, and we must turn ourselves to fulfill our duty to our own countrymen, and to our gallant allies of the United States who were so foully and treacherously attacked by Japan.

“We will go hand and hand with them.

“Even if it is a hard struggle we will not be the ones who will fail.”

Keir Starmer has praised the “selfless dedication” of those who have served in the military before the anniversary of VE Day as the government unveiled a new £50m support system for veterans.

In an open letter to mark 80 years since the end of the second world war in Europe, the prime minister said the sacrifice made by members of the armed forces was a debt that could “never fully be repaid”.

He said the country would show how thankful it was during events to commemorate VE Day, which signalled the end of fighting on 8 May 1945.

“It was also a victory for good against the assembled forces of hatred, tyranny and evil,” Starmer wrote. “VE Day is a chance to acknowledge, again, that our debt to those who achieved it can never fully be repaid.”

Starmer said his thoughts would turn both to those who served in the second world war and those who carried “the torch of their legacy” today.

“Alongside our history and our values, service is the other great force that binds a nation together,” he said. “So this week, I want you to know: the whole nation is inspired by the selfless dedication of your example.”

Timetable of events

• Midday BST: The ceremony begins in Parliament Square when Big Ben strikes midday, and an actor will recite extracts from the iconic Winston Churchill VE Day speech. A young person will then pass the Commonwealth War Graves Torch for Peace to Alan Kennett, 100, a Second World War veteran who served in the Normandy campaign. The Torch for Peace is an enduring symbol, honouring the contributions made by individuals, which will act as a baton to pass and share stories to future generations.

• At 12.10 BST The procession will make its way to Buckingham Palace. The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and The King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery will then lead the procession from Parliament Square, down Whitehall and past the Cenotaph which will be dressed in Union Flags, through Admiralty Arch and up The Mall through to Buckingham Palace where the procession will finish.

• They will be followed by a tri-service procession group featuring marching members of the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, the British Army and the Royal Air Force. Cadets from all three services and other uniformed youth groups will also take part in the procession to ensure the message of VE Day is handed down to a new generation.

• The Prime Minister and Second World War veterans supported by the Royal British Legion will watch the procession from a specially built dais on the Queen Victoria Memorial.

• The King and Queen will be joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales to watch the procession

• At 1.45pm BST a flypast featuring the Red Arrows and current and historic aircraft will take place

• The King and Queen will host a tea party at Buckingham Palace for veterans, families and members of the wartime generation.

• VE Day 80 street parties, picnics and community events will take place around the country.

Welcome to live coverage of the UK commemorations of VE Day. On 8 May 1945, Winston Churchill announced that the war in Europe was over and crowd took to the streets to celebrate.

Commemorative evens will be held across the UK and further afield over the next week to mark the anniversary with a procession down Whitehall and a flypast from the Red Arrows over central London later today.

There will be a service in Westminster Abbey on Thursday and, in August, another commemoration of Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day).