Jennette Arnold OBE AM, Chair of the London Assembly, said:
“Today we celebrate our elders, who fought, died, were held captive, toiled in factories, tilled the soil, did combat on land, sea and in the skies, so that we may be free.
"75 years ago, those who could, celebrated in Trafalgar Square and across the bomb-pitted capital with its gap-toothed streets piled high with the rubble of bombed-out buildings.
"It was a moment of joy.
"We look back and try to imagine what it must have been like to fight in the war, like Cap Tom, who saw action in Burma with the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment. We think of their quiet, selflessness back then, which in the case of Capt. Tom, who raised more than £30 million for the NHS, continues today.
"And we think of those who live with the dark legacy of what they saw and experienced, in concentration camps and in Nazi ghettos.
Today, we cannot gather to remember what service personnel like Capt. Tom did for us. But while our isolation and restrictions are temporary, our freedom is secure thanks to their sacrifice.
"That freedom though, cannot be taken for granted. We cannot be complacent – it would disrespect all our forebears did for us. We must be ever vigilant.
"The legacy of what our armed forces did then is embodied in the professional selflessness of today’s military and what they do and have done here in London and around the world, promoting peace and security, fighting terrorism and delivering aid. At home, in response to the most recent threats to our security, armed forces have been deployed across the streets of London, protecting the capital and helping Londoners feel safer. We stand beside the men and women who selflessly make sacrifices on our behalf.
"On behalf of the London Assembly, I am proud to remember and give thanks for the service and sacrifice of veterans and serving personnel and those who 75 years ago fought in so many different ways for our freedom at home and overseas. In so doing I reach out to, and remember our Commonwealth sisters and brothers and those on all sides of the conflict who experienced insufferable hardship, especially those dragged to Nazi concentration camps to work and die as slaves in the name of a perverted ideology.
"So, while this anniversary is a moment of celebration, most of all it is a moment of reflection. As the past dims, we must forever hold clear in our mind’s eye the lessons our grandparents and their parents promised when the final all-clear siren sounded – never again.”
Notes to editors
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
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