VE Day marked with events across Northern Ireland
Secretary of State Hilary Benn described an opportunity to remember the 'huge sacrifice made by that great generation' at the end of the Second World War in Europe.
On Wednesday night, some landmark buildings in Belfast were lit up to mark VE Day, including Belfast City Hall in red, as well as Parliament Buildings in blue.
The City Hall hosted a tea party for celebrations on Thursday afternoon, as well as the Ulster Aviation Society's replica spitfire in its grounds.
Annie Cherry, 83, from the Shankill Road was among those taking part in the festivities.
'(Those that fought) gave us a better life and maybe a bit more happiness,' she said.
'One of my brother-in-laws was taken captive during the war, he was in a concentration camp, when he came home there was hardly any flesh on him, it must have been hard.'
Later on Thursday, beacons will be lit across a number of locations including Bangor, Newtownards, Lisburn, Armagh, Enniskillen, Coleraine, Londonderry and Coleraine to symbolise the light and hope that emerged from the darkness of war.
Today we honour the courage and sacrifice of all those who served in World War Two. And to veterans from Northern Ireland and beyond, we thank you for your service, your bravery and the part you played in securing peace and freedom. https://t.co/zpsR73mVm5
— Hilary Benn (@hilarybennmp) May 8, 2025
Mr Benn took part in a number of visits across the region.
He officially opened a special Second World War exhibition at Antrim Castle Gardens, before travelling to the Ulster Aviation Society, where he met veteran Fred Jennings.
He also visited the NI War Memorial Museum, which focuses on Northern Ireland's role in the Second World War and the impact that the war had on its people, and attended a Service of Remembrance at St Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral in Armagh.
Mr Benn said the cost of peace must never be forgotten.
'VE Day 80 is our opportunity to remember and to honour the extraordinary courage of that great generation of World War Two veterans,' he said.
pic.twitter.com/RLjGhodpuI
— Emma Little-Pengelly BL (@little_pengelly) May 8, 2025
'Today should remind us all that the cost of peace must never be forgotten.
'As we hear the stories of those who served and express our profound gratitude to them, let us remember that it was their sacrifice that enabled us to live in peace and freedom.'
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly attended VE Day events in Lisburn, Co Antrim.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
10 hours ago
- Reuters
Germany's Merz says some US lawmakers have 'no idea' of scale of Russia's rearmament
BERLIN, June 6 (Reuters) - Some U.S. lawmakers do not understand the scale of Russia's rearmament campaign, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday, a day after he held talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in the White House. "I met with some senators on Capitol Hill and told them to please look at the rearmament Russia is doing," Merz told a business conference in Berlin. "They clearly have no idea what is happening there right now," he said, without identifying the senators. Russia has shifted defence plants to round-the-clock production since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has signed arms deals with North Korea and Iran, prompting European officials to warn that Moscow could soon be in a position to attack NATO territory. Russia denies any such intention and says it is waging a "special military operation" in Ukraine to protect its own security against what it casts as an aggressive, hostile West. Merz, a conservative who took power in May, is the latest European leader to visit Trump hoping to convince him of the need to back Ukraine against Russia's invasion and continue to help underpin Europe's security through the NATO alliance. Merz said he had been reassured by the words Trump had uttered during their public encounter in the Oval Office, especially the U.S. president's "resounding no" to a question on whether the United States had plans to withdraw from NATO. European countries have been boosting defence spending since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in the continent's bloodiest conflict since World War Two. Merz has backed Trump's demand for NATO members to commit to a target of more than doubling defence spending to 5% of economic output in the future. Trump welcomed that commitment on Thursday and told Merz that U.S. forces would remain in Germany. "Whether we like it or not," Merz said on Friday, "we will remain dependent on the United States... for a long time to come."
BBC News
16 hours ago
- BBC News
Why is a Guernsey field being surveyed for undetonated bombs?
A field in Guernsey is to be surveyed later after suspicions were raised there could be undetonated World War Two bombs lurking deep beneath the in June 1940, the Channel Islands were the only British territories to be occupied by the Germans during the war. A contractor will be inspecting fields next to Route Isabelle, in St Peter Port, in the east of the island, after islanders raised concerns a previous survey had not looked deep enough for bombs. Wartime flight paths and military records point to unexploded ordnance potentially lying beneath the field, said bomb disposal expert Ben Remfrey, who ramped up pressure on the issue in October last former soldier said the most likely reason he believed there were bombs in the Foulon Farm area because of an event on 3 March 1941, when the RAF sent squadrons from airfields in the south of England to bomb the French port of Brest, which was in German hands. "The target was the German battleship, the Admiral Hipper, which was in dry dock," he said."It was a cloudy wet night and a number of the bombers could not identify the target and some were damaged by anti-aircraft fire." He said a few planes flew back to base and those that still had their payload onboard had to jettison, or throw out, the bombs due to them being unstable to land with."The jettison area was thought to be the Hurd Deep, north of Guernsey, and the route from Brest back to southern England passed over Guernsey in some instances," he said. What do authorities say? In 2018, the States of Guernsey was made aware of the potential existence of these unexploded aircraft-dropped bombs near Route Isabelle.A year later, a private specialist company was commissioned by the States to survey the land but no evidence was ever found of any October 2024 Guernsey Police said there was "no strong evidence that these devices exist" and officials had "already conducted precautionary work to ensure the risk to the community is minimal".In February 2025 Dave Le Ray, director of operations for Justice and Regulation, said "specialist advice" indicated the risk was "low" but the States had decided to "commission a deep survey" following concerns raised by residents and Mr Remfrey. How common is it to find WW2 ordnance? Mr Remfrey said live ordnances from World War Two continued to be found around the globe and it was important to make them safe."For one reason or another, a good deal of ordnance fails to function as designed when dropped - over time, the fusing mechanisms 'let go' and the bombs then detonate," he said."The perception is that these bombs, after 84 years, are rusty and unlikely to detonate is utterly unfounded." He said ordnance of "varying diameter" was found regularly in the Channel Islands, with most of it dealt by the police bomb disposal of a roll bomb found on Guernsey's south coast was detonated last October, and the bottom of the cliffs in the same area were closed off as a bomb was detonated in unexploded WW2 bomb was found and detonated on Jersey's east coast last Remfrey said air dropped weapons were "generally buried out of site" and that they could remain in "near perfect condition".He said if bombs were found, the Ministry of Defence would excavate and assess the ordnance, with safety cordons and evacuation options put in place.
BBC News
17 hours ago
- BBC News
Canterbury Cathedral plaque to mark civilian WW2 deaths
A new plaque remembering civilians in Canterbury who were killed in World War Two has been installed in the city's 50 people who died in two major raids targeting the city's cathedral in 1942 are buried alongside each other at the graves were discovered by Canterbury Historical Association chairman Julian Woltho, who traced the names using local archives.A short service of remembrance will be held on Sunday when the names of all of those who died will be read out. Mr Woltho said the timing of that second raid contributed to the large loss of explained: "It took place around tea time, and the city was still quite busy with buses running and the barrage balloons had been taken down."The aircraft were "able to fly low over the city which was caught unprepared for what unfolded", he to Mr Woltho, the discovery of the graves during a general tour was "really significant"."Although the cemetery is really well kept there was no recognition of who the graves belonged to and there are 50 so it's a significant area," he days before Canterbury was bombed much of the medieval city of Cologne, Germany, was destroyed by British bombers. The attack on Canterbury was reported in the German media as revenge for to install the new plaque have been supported by Canterbury City Council and the Canterbury Commemoration relatives of those buried at the cemetery are invited to Sunday's service, which is due to start at 14:00 BST.
