Next week is the 80th anniversary of VE Day, when we celebrate 80 years since the end of the Second World War in Europe. This anniversary is a poignant one because we are passing from an event within living memory to a more distant part of our history. That is why it is important that we mark this event and reflect on the sacrifice and service of those that served.

As well as being an important historical event, VE Day also stands for a set of values. When people were called to resist the horrors of fascism, they met those challenges with courage and decency. This spirit of working together for the common good is still present in our borough to this day.

Left its mark on the borough

Many different roles were played by people across our borough, and it’s left its mark in many ways. Whether it is the hundreds of residents that served on the front line, the people who left their homes behind to serve in vital wartime industries or the 217 civilians that died in the borough during the blitz.

There are some amazing stories of people’s contributions from our borough, some of which you can read about in the local history section of Around Ealing website. And, we will be marking the life of Odette Sansom with a blue plaque as part of our VE Day commemorations. She led a truly amazing life as a spy assisting the resistance in France and I would recommend everyone reading up on her amazing war time exploits.

Commemorative event

The council is holding a commemorative event in Walpole Park in Ealing (Mattock Lane entrance) on Thursday 8 May – the 80th anniversary day – starting at 9pm. The hymn, Vow to Thee My Country, will be sung at 9.30pm, and the gathering will culminate with the lighting of the beacon, which is near Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery, at 9.45pm.

You can also read 3 recent local history stories relating to VE Day in the Around Ealing local history section, too:

• ‘Lot of damage in Ealing’: war through the eyes of Erica – Around Ealing
• ‘Strangely like the Blitz’: VE Day remembered – Around Ealing
• Acton and VE Day – Around Ealing

Immensely proud

Almost everyone will have their own personal family connections with VE Day, and I am immensely proud of the members of my own family that served in the war. I hope that, whether people are participating in the events across borough or not, we all take a few moments on 8 May to reflect on the importance of the service people showed in the Second World War.