Bracknell MP James Sunderland talks this week about all about VE Day. He writes:

I write on the eve of Victory in Europe (VE) Day 75. By the time you next read the Bracknell News, this important milestone will have passed, but it would be remiss of me not to mention that our country will rightly come together to commemorate our World War Two heroes as we also pay respect to those on the front line today.

I am not just talking of course about those HM Forces who remain on operations in both the UK and overseas, but the dedicated frontline staff who are keeping us safe against a hidden enemy. Right across the NHS, in care homes, GP surgeries and our public services, our health professionals and so many other key workers are doing an amazing job and I pay tribute to you.

At a remarkable event last Summer, the world came to Portsmouth for the start of the D Day 75 Commemorations. In what barely seems a year ago, June 5, 2019, proved to be a special occasion and one that I will never forget. As one of the lucky few to be present, I had been invited as a member of the Army Engagement Group to host the dignitaries and to play my small part in honouring our World War Two veterans.

These living legends had travelled back to the Solent in their hundreds, proudly representing the allied nations who had sent brave young soldiers to land in Normandy on that fateful day in June 1944.

Under blue skies and beautiful sunshine, those fantastic veterans stood out like burning gold. Sitting tall in their magnificent rows, resplendent in their ageless uniforms and with faces contorted by emotion, there was not a dry eye in the audience as the formalities began.

Overcome by humility but also taking huge pride as a succession of world leaders stopped to pay them homage, this was their day. And there they were, superbly dressed and impossibly smart, with straight lines on their trousers, immaculate black shoes, old Regimental ties, embroidered blazers and their perfectly polished medals glittering in the sun.

Some were in wheelchairs, some were walking with sticks and a few were able to move unassisted, but all had beaming smiles in the knowledge that their efforts had not been in vain and had not been forgotten, at least for the day. And the world watched them.

So please do spare a thought for those who gave so much to protect our freedoms. Whilst we now face a very different kind of enemy in Covid-19, we can still commemorate Victory in Europe Day in the most public and gregarious manner possible. Indeed, adversity is nothing new for the British people and we will continue to adapt and overcome, even if we cannot enjoy the street parties, parades or concerts that would otherwise have been held.

So please do continue to decorate your houses, workplaces and cars, put up buntings, fly flags, get behind local schemes and make as much noise as you can as we clap all of our heroes, whether they are our ancestors or our frontline workers today.

Back in 1944, British Forces set forth against a determined enemy and defeated it against all the odds. 75 years later, no doubt we will also get the chance to mark our future victory against Coroanvirus in the streets again, not least by proudly celebrating all those who helped to defeat the virus.

As our magical war-time generation continues to prove, fortune always favours the brave.