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Reflections on VE Day 2020

There's no assembly this morning but you can watch a very old speech below and reflect on it together.

Over 380,000 British soldiers died in World War 2 and over 65,000 civilians. On the day that victory in Europe was announced, King George VI reminded people what this 'suffering and peril' had been for:


Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister, also spoke to the nation, and then added a particular address to the House of Commons:


Public service is a privilege and a responsibility. Churchill's speech to the nation on VE Day reminds us of everyone's role in protecting democracy and that preserving our freedom always has a price:

I say that in the long years to come not only will the people of this island but of the world, wherever the bird of freedom chirps in human hearts, look back to what we've done and they will say "do not despair, do not yield to violence and tyranny, march straightforward and die if need be - unconquered."

In the next post, you'll find some activities you can do together as you celebrate this day. But as you do them, you could discuss together, 'why is the bird of freedom so important?'


©2020 by Emmanuel Christian School.

All artwork  © Tim Steward. 

Other images Creative Commons.