VE Day 75

We are fortunate to live in a democracy and enjoy the benefits of free speech. Yet it could all have been so different had it not been for the courage, valour and resilience of the British people and our allies, including those from the Commonwealth, on the battlefield, at sea, in the air and at home during the Second World War. VE day enables us to stop and think and say thank you for all those whose personal sacrifice made us the free nation we are today.  In commemorating VE Day we are not only remembering those who made the final sacrifice, but also those who came home and those at home who went on to build our nation post-war.  We also recognise the victory of democracy over dictatorship, of freedom over fascism, of liberty over tyranny. It is right that we take this time to say thank you to those who went before and to give thanks for our freedom and the values that define our nation.