VE Day 80: We Were There review — it's vital we hear these memories
There were plenty of wise words from the elderly, gentle-voiced heroes in VE Day 80: We Were There (BBC2). People who have experienced the sharp end of war tend to have their priorities right.
'Our peace was hard fought for and should be cherished,' said former Wren Marie Scott. 'Nothing can be taken for granted. There's always some lunatic around who wants power or … a piece of territory and is prepared to stop at nothing to get it.' Well, ain't that the truth.
Having listened to an hour of these modest veterans talking, I wondered, as always, what they make of some of today's generation, those who reportedly find it 'too challenging' to make a phone call or find the use of full stops
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Powys County Times
2 days ago
- Powys County Times
Llandrindod club disappointed after VE Day flag vandalised
THE Royal British Legion in Llandrindod Wells has expressed disappointment after a flag commemorating VE Day was vandalised. The club reiterated its support for veterans living in and from the town after the incident, which is believed to have occurred sometime after May 8, which marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day. 'We are disappointed to see vandalism to the VE flag and ropes, that were erected in commemoration of VE Day,' read a post on the Llandrindod Wells - Royal British Legion Facebook page on May 31. 'It is such shame to have to experience this lack of regard for the veterans, both men and women, that served and defended our country so we can enjoy the freedoms we have today. 'Their sacrifice and dedication deserve our gratitude and respect. 'For those that have served and are still serving in our armed forces, we appreciate and honour your dedication to serving your country, ensuring our freedom and way of life.' The news sparked anger locally, with one commenter replying: 'It's heartbreaking that every village in UK has a nucleus of this class of person now. 'Smashing and vandalising everything they see. Tragic really that parents have lost control over their kids.' One other said the vandalism 'makes my blood boil', while the behaviour of whoever was responsible was labelled 'disgraceful', 'disgusting' and 'disrespectful'. Others branded those responsible 'mindless yobs' and 'disrespectful toerags'. It leaves a sour taste following impeccable organisation of and attendance at a number of events held in Llandrindod to commemorate VE Day. VE Day in the spa town was marked throughout the week, including on Sunday, May 11, with a service being held at the town's war memorial, on Temple Street, adjacent to the Metropole Hotel, and led by Rev Andrew Tweed. 'Our mayor, Cllr Marcia Morgan, laid wreaths on behalf of the community at the war memorial and hospital,' said Llandrindod Wells Town Council in a post. 'It was lovely to see so many people in attendance and particularly the current and previous servicemen and women. 'Congratulations to Llandrindod Wells Royal British Legion for working so hard on this important commemoration.' Town Crier Jan Swindale had previously organised a VE Day 80 proclamation event on May 8, while choirs from both Ysgol Cefnllys and Ysgol Trefonnen performed. The celebrations had started on May 5 with a family tea party at the Royal British Legion premises on Tremont Road.
The Guardian
27-05-2025
- The Guardian
Implosion: The Titanic Sub Disaster review – the enraging tale of how five people died in an underwater deathtrap
'What was that bang?' Implosion, BBC2's documentary about the doomed commercial submarine Titan and its owner and pilot Stockton Rush, has footage shot on 18 June 2023 at the very instant when, on a sightseeing trip 3,800m below the surface of the Atlantic, Titan suffered a fatal rupture and the five people inside it died. There were no cameras on the sea floor and any pictures taken by Titan's occupants were destroyed along with it, but there is film that contains what we now know to be audio of the craft's last moment. Rush's wife, Wendy, is aboard the mission's support ship, in radio contact, when she hears a noise. At that point, Wendy Rush looks more confused than alarmed. A contributor to the film likens the sound to a door slamming, but it's less dramatic than that: it's more of a muffled thud, which was ambiguous enough for it not to be assumed immediately that Rush and his passengers were dead. Instead, the unknown fate of Titan topped global news reports for four days, until debris was finally found. That clip of Wendy Rush is eerily low-key but, as Implosion tells it, the story of Titan is one that suits an unspectacular, perversely almost anticlimactic ending, because it's a tale of hubris and negligence that isn't coloured with much complexity. It's all the more sad and enraging that five people lost their lives in a tragedy that, in retrospect, was bound to happen. Implosion searches for a grander narrative, but it doesn't seem to be there. Having sketched the life of Stockton Rush, a wealthy man who dreamed as a youth of going into space before he noticed more accessible 'cool stuff' way down below the ocean, the programme documents some of the warning signs he ignored as he planned prestigious expeditions to view the wreckage of the Titanic. Rush, who felt the relevant regulation and certification processes were an unnecessary fuss, favoured carbon fibre as the material from which his tiny submarine's hull would be made, an unusual choice because it is known to behave erratically under extreme pressure: its layers can separate, a process known as delamination. Numerous contributors who were involved in Titan's test dives recall that those rehearsals were marred by passengers raising safety concerns. We are able to read extracts from one expert's series of warning emails that were ignored; another alleges she spoke up in person, only to be told she lacked 'an explorer mindset'. There is footage of Stockton Rush reassuring interested parties that it is normal for submarines to make scary noises as water pressure changes and metals contract; the programme's interviewees disagree, and we see evidence that a cracking sound heard on one of the last missions should have been interpreted as a harbinger of delamination. So we have the how: a man took four others to the bottom of the sea in a submarine that was clearly unsafe. What Implosion struggles with is the why. It never quite gets to the bottom of how aware Rush was that Titan was a deathtrap. Did his self-image as an intrepid adventurer, the incentive of the six-figure sums he was charging his passengers, or the potential shame of abandoning the project actually stop him from seeing the obvious, or did he just not want to acknowledge it? One contributor asserts that Rush must have known that a dive would end in disaster before too long, which amounts to alleging that this was a criminal act by a man with a death wish. But a conclusively evidenced answer refuses to reveal itself. There is talk of 'ego' and 'arrogance', and of a family who were 'upper crust' with 'access to uber-elites'. The history of boundary-pushing exploration is indeed strewn with fascinating stories of privileged men who were brought up to believe they couldn't fail, or who had some desperate emptiness inside them that made them lose their fear of death. But, especially because the money Rush was earning muddies the picture, we don't know if he fits this narrative. It seems unlikely that much clarity will be provided by the US Coast Guard's ongoing inquiry: Implosion has acquired film from inside the hearings, but if the producers assumed this exclusive access would automatically make their documentary illuminating, they were mistaken. Nor does the programme give much insight into the people who willingly joined Rush on Titan's final voyage. The only representative of the loved ones is Christine Dawood, whose husband, Shahzada, and 19-year-old son Suleman were both aboard. She speaks with noble dignity about a loss that seems to be deepened by the knowledge that she won't ever be told why she had to suffer it. 'We all know who the culprit is,' she says. '[It] does not change anything, does it?' Implosion: The Titanic Sub Disaster aired on BBC Two and is available on iPlayer.
Daily Record
13-05-2025
- Daily Record
East Ayrshire commemorates 80th anniversary of VE Day
Members of the Royal British Legion and guests joined East Ayrshire Council outside Council HQ in Kilmarnock to raise a flag. 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."
