Friday marked the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day (VE-Day).
Ceremonies to mark the event in Newfoundland and Labrador, and throughout Canada, Europe and other countries have been impacted — held online or attended by much smaller numbers — due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Europe, the allies are fondly remembered on this day for their efforts and sacrifice to liberate Europe.
Judith Holloway of the United Kingdom has been determined to ensure anniversaries like VE-Day are honoured in her home town of Ashford, Kent. She became particularly interested in Newfoundland and Labrador after researching the lone grave of a Newfoundland soldier who lies in Bybrook Cemetery, not far from her own father’s gravesite.
That Newfoundland soldier was Walter Kitchener Pike — a gunner with the Royal Artillery, 59 (Newfoundland) Heavy Regiment in the Second World War.
Over the years, Holloway would visit and care for the grave each time she visited the cemetery.
A few years ago, she decided to research who Pike was.
“You can imagine my surprise after looking at our cemetery records to discover that Walter was billeted and had died in the town in which I live,” she said. “I went on a journey to discover what I could of Walter’s story in the U.K.”
Her research led her to locate Pike’s family in St. John’s — including a younger brother Frank, who is now 93. Holloway has since become endeared to the Pike family and had visited St. John’s in May 2019, her first time visiting the province. At that time she took part in a ceremony during which a memorial stone was unveiled at the base of the Memorial on Parade Parkette at the RNC’s provincial headquarters at Fort Townshend in honour of Walter Kitchener Pike.
After returning from her trip, she spoke at local schools and Armistice services about her experience and what she had learned about Newfoundland and Labrador, and the soldiers who fought in Europe.
In recent months Holloway was in the process of preparing a photo exhibition regarding the Newfoundland soldiers in her hometown during the Second World War when the COVID-19 pandemic interfered with her efforts.
She then contacted her Member of Parliament to ask if he’d issue a statement marking the contribution of Newfoundland and Labrador soldiers to the defence of their town during the Second World War.
“I thought how uplifting it would be if Ashford could somehow send a message of solidarity with them at this time in acknowledgment of their service here in Ashford, particularly as the (COVID-19) virus is most dangerous to the veterans and their families in the upper age group,” Holloway wrote. “Which is why I am writing to you, because I wondered if perhaps there is any way in which you could express our solidarity with them as our MP?
“ The regiments that fought under the British flag were the 166th (Newfoundland) Field Artillery Regiment who went to Italy, and the 59th (Newfoundland) Heavy Regiment Royal Artillery, who were stationed in Ashford when it was declared a front-line town in 1941.”
Damian Green, the MP for Ashford, responded and sent a letter to The Telegram through Holloway.
“As the Member of Parliament for Ashford, I want to pay tribute to the 59th (Newfoundland) Heavy Regiment Royal Artillery, who did so much to help protect the town between 1941 and D-Day,” it reads.
“It is inevitable that the VE-Day commemorations are going to be overshadowed by the current crisis, so it is all the more important to take a moment to remember the brave Canadians who helped our own citizens survive an even more troubled time.
“The veterans who are still with us should know that all these years later we still think of them with gratitude and fondness, and in particular wish them well in the current dangerous circumstances. This is a time when the whole world needs to come together, so it is a real pleasure to be able to reach across the Atlantic and say thank you once again to our friends in Newfoundland. I hope you have the chance to commemorate VE-Day, and to think again of the people of Ashford, and more widely across Kent, who you served so well more than 70 years ago.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement on Friday.
“On this day in 1945, Canadians joined the chorus of millions around the world to celebrate the end of the Second World War in Europe. With the unconditional surrender of the Nazi regime, the devastation, fear, and misery caused by more than five-and-a-half years of fighting gave way to feelings of relief, hope, and optimism. Although the war in Asia and the Pacific continued, parades were held and people sang in the streets as Canada and its Allies celebrated the end of a struggle that had tested our resilience and humanity.
“While this year’s commemorative ceremonies will move online due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, I invite all Canadians to pay tribute to the courage and sacrifice of those who fought in Europe, and supported the war effort at home, during the Second World War. We remain forever in the debt of all those who answered the call to serve, and for the people in uniform who gave everything so that their children and grandchildren could live in freedom and peace.”
