East Ayrshire commemorates 80th anniversary of VE Day
Members of the Royal British Legion and guests joined East Ayrshire Council to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe.
Following the VE day flag being raised at Council HQ in Kilmarnock, a commemoration took place outside the Dick Institute before wreaths were laid at the Cenotaph by Deputy Lieutenant David Lacy, Provost Claire Leitch and Georgina Cairns from the Royal British Legion.
Guests included veterans, including veterans of WWII, members of the Armed Forces; Sea, Army and Air Cadets; school pupils and community representatives.
Provost Leitch said: "It's vitally important that we mark this important anniversary and remember and give thanks to all those who gave so much to secure peace and freedom for future generations.
"As we honour VE Day 80, we remember the bravery, resilience, and the spirit of a generation who stood firm in the face of tyranny, and we renew our commitment to ensuring that their stories will never be forgotten."
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In May 1955, Cruickshank married a Canadian, Marian Beverley, in Rangoon, Burma (now Myanmar). She died in 1985. Flt Lt Cruickshank lived on his own for the next four decades. But each year, in a moving gesture that said so much about his character, he travelled to the Shetlands to lay a wreath on the grave of his navigator, Flying Officer John Dixon. Bob Kemp, a fellow retired RAF officer and close friend said: 'John was an amazing character, very quiet, but with a terrific sense of humour. 'I flew with him in the Catalina when he was almost 90 and as soon as he got airborne his recall of the detail of the aircraft came alive. 'He could point out every position of every crew member, where all the first-aid kits were stored, where all the machine guns were, the depth charge settings and the engine's revolutions for take-off etc. His recall was magnificent.' The death of Flt Lt Cruickshank was announced with no details about where he had died or the exact date of his passing. He was a private man and his funeral will be an occasion for close family and friends. Cruickshank was one of 181 men to be awarded the VC during the Second World War, including a New Zealander who received it twice, a double award known as a VC and Bar. Cruickshank's death is, of course, a tragedy for his family and friends who loved him so dearly. But his place in history is secure – one of the finest examples of bravery it is possible to imagine from a generation of men and women to whom we owe so much. He rarely talked about his war-time service and his VC, saying in 2008: 'You don't get involved in that kind of thing – thinking of any decorations or any recognition. It was regarded as duty.' Like so many of the decorated war heroes that I have met over the years – as I built the world's largest collection of VC medals – Cruickshank's courage was matched by modesty and humility. In 2013, and by that point in his early 90s, he said of that night's bravery: 'It was just normal. We were trained to do the job and that was it. I wouldn't like to say I'm the only one who has an amazing story. There are plenty of other stories coming from that time.' Today the world is once again a dangerous place, with wars and conflicts in eastern Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere. It is all the more important, then, that we honour and cherish the valour of men like Flight Lieutenant John Cruickshank VC, who put his country, his monarch, his comrades and wider freedoms above his personal safety to make the world a better place.
