You may by now have become accustomed to seeing me and my Ministers appearing at this lectern on a daily basis to provide the latest update about the current pandemic we face.
And at times such as these all of our focus is of course on the present, the here and now, of how we are responding to what is a significant global challenge, perhaps the greatest challenge so far of the 21st century.
Yet, at the same time, it feels more appropriate than ever that we remember and reflect on the enormous struggles that we as an Island community have faced in the past.
And so today I am speaking to you to pay tribute to the selfless sacrifice and determination, both on the battlefield and at home here on the Isle of Man, that led to victory over Nazi forces in Europe 75 years ago today.
Or as the Archbishop of Canterbury described it: “victory over the greatest darkness of the 20th Century”.
I’d like to quote also the words of the Isle of Man Daily Times on this day in 1945, which wrote:
“German armed might is broken. Right, sustained by the unwearying courage of its defenders, has triumphed, and German capitulation to Britain, the United States and Soviet Russia is unconditional and unquestioned.
The road has been hard, and it has been paved with tears, toil and sweat by the nations who followed Britain’s lead in making war against aggression. Sustained by the example of this comparatively small nation and its great Empire, they fought on inexorably, doggedly and without respite to stem the tide of the black horror which threatened to engulf the world and plunge it back into the Dark Ages.”
Today’s anniversary is of course being marked right across the world, particularly in those nations which were part of the allied struggle. I personally feel that we do not always acknowledge just how much our small Island contributed to that effort.
6,000 Manx men and women served during the war, 500 of them did not return.
Here on the home front, the most widely known contribution is the role the Island played in the internment of civilian aliens. Camps existed in Douglas, Onchan, Peel, Port Erin, Port St Mary, Ramsey and of course at Knockaloe.
But the Island was also host to military training camps where thousands were readied for battle and where vital code breakers were trained.
Its four listening stations were a key part of Britain’s chain of defence from enemy aircraft, and also played a role in the secret development of Radar technology.
Perhaps the least-known Manx contribution to the war came during Operation Dynamo – the evacuation of thousands of British troops from the beaches of Dunkirk in 1940.
The Mona’s Isle was the very first vessel to leave Dover for Dunkirk, and the first to complete the round trip journey. In fact, eight Isle of Man Steam Packet Company ships participated in the operation, rescuing almost 25,000 troops, and meaning that 1 in 14 lives saved at Dunkirk was aboard a Manx vessel.
Indeed, the disproportionate contribution of the Isle of Man was recognised in July 1945 when the King and Queen visited the Island to thank the Manx people for their contribution to the war effort. Speaking at the Tynwald ceremony he said that:
“In bringing this gigantic conflict to a conclusion, the people of this little Island had played their part by land and by air and by sea.”
75 years ago today in Douglas the ‘all clear’ signal was sounded for the final time, and a parade of service units, civil defence workers and Red Cross personnel took place, with the Governor taking the salute at the War Memorial on the Promenade and participating in a service at the Villa Marina.
We had planned to recreate that celebration this year, with a parade through the streets of Douglas and an event in the Villa Marina Gardens for our veterans, our current servicemen and women and all members of the public to recreate the street-party atmosphere of VE Day 1945.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who was involved in the organisation of what had promised to be a really special day, in particular I would like to thank the team of three officers in the Cabinet Office who, in addition to their normal roles, have been working on these plans for the best part of a year, and also 103 Regiment Royal Artillery Pipes & Drums, who had very kindly agreed to visit the Island and perform at the event.
It goes without saying, of course, that we have not been able to proceed with those plans. But we are still marking todays’ anniversary in a variety of ways.
This morning we joined the United Kingdom in observing a two-minute silence.
And this afternoon at 2.55pm a bugler will play The Last Post from the summit of Snaefell, followed at 3pm by a piper who will play ‘Battle’s O’er’ and ‘VE Day 75’, a new piece composed especially for today’s events. They will be playing in sync with hundreds of other locations around the world, including the highest peaks of the four nations of the United Kingdom.
I’d like to thank the bugler, Matt Creer of the Royal British Legion, and the piper, Dr John Struthers of Ellan Vannin Pipes and Drums, for volunteering to undertake this act of remembrance on behalf of the people of the Isle of Man.
This event will be captured on video and shared, and for obvious reasons I would stress that members of the public should not go to the summit to observe this in person.
The Treasury have issued a commemorative gold sovereign and a special issue of 50 pence pieces with images of VE Day in 1945 including Churchill with his famous V for Victory hand gesture, Manx residents celebrating in the streets and a soldier returning home to his family.
I also know that Royal British Legion standard bearers around the Island will be joining a UK-wide initiative to parade and salute in their homes or gardens this afternoon.
And I was delighted to see Manx National Heritage, Culture Vannin and the Department of Education, Sport and Culture come together this week to offer an Isle of Man VE Day toolkit to support home schooling and tips for throwing ‘stay at home garden parties’.
Finally, we are also encouraging everyone who is at home this afternoon to participate in The Nation’s Toast to the Heroes of World War 2 at 3pm by raising a drink of your choice and thanking those who gave so much.
Those who endured.
Those who fought on the home front.
Those who ‘dug for victory’.
Those who fought.
And those who died, for the peace we know today.
We will remember them.
Thank you.
