Veterans celebrate 81st anniversary of VE Day at South Yorkshire armed forces care home

Veterans and the wider community celebrated the 81^st anniversary of VE Day with a special party in South Yorkshire with live music, food, drink and dancing.

Deangate Care home in Mapplewell, Barnsley, has Veteran Friendly Status and ensures armed forces veterans living there benefit from enhanced care and support as part of a scheme that aims to tackle loneliness and isolation and improve health and wellbeing for over 25,000 veterans in care homes across England.

Former armed forces personnel that live at the home, or visit it for events, gathered together with family and friends this week to mark Victory in Europe Day - the end of World War two in Europe.

On 8th May 8, 1945, the Allies formally accepted Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender, bringing six years of brutal conflict to a close. Britain's then Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, broke the news to the nation.

The announcement was met with jubilant celebrations in cities, towns, and villages across the world, as millions took to the streets to celebrate. Famous scenes included massive crowds outside Buckingham Palace, where Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret mingled secretly with the public.

Annual VE Day commemorations continue to this day and Rachael Addy, Activities Co-ordinator at Deangate Care Home, told GB News: "We are a veteran friendly home, and I like to showcase all of our veterans at any time of the year and VE Day is just a perfect reason, really, to put them on a pedestal and show everybody how good our veterans are and the local community is.

"Since we've become a veteran friendly home, we've got a really nice community that's formed and it's nice for them to come along and see our veterans and for the veterans to see them, plus our non-veteran residents get to meet and greet them, and they like to pay homage to those who fell for us. We celebrate VE Day every year, and this year is no different to any other.

"The veterans get to open up about their experiences and what they did, and come out of their shells.

"In the world we live in today, younger generations don't always know what was given up for them, so our veterans speak very emotionally about what they've been through and younger generations come in and listen to them talk. These were people that fought alongside those that died so we can be here today.

"We should be so thankful for what they've done - if they didn't do what they did then, we wouldn't have what we've got now."

World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, with total deaths estimated between 70 million and 85 million. This includes roughly 50–55 million civilian deaths, many from war-related disease, famine, and atrocities, and 21–25 million military deaths.

For the veterans at Deangate Care Home, the sacrifices of those who gave their today for our tomorrow should never be forgotten.

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Army Veteran David Melling, who was visiting the home for the VE Day party, and who is part of Barnsley Armed Forces Breakfast Club, said: "I did 22 years in the Army, I did 17 years in Germany, two years in Hong Kong, went all around Europe, Nepal, China, Mongolia - quite a few places.

"The main thing is my father's medals, which I wear on my right side. It's just a tribute to him that he served all the way through the Second World War. I served 22 years afterwards, not through the same tribulations as he went through though.

"VE Day is chance for us to give tribute to the military, but to civilians too. There were bombings in every city and every town, so it's right that we remember everybody that suffered at that time."

RAF Veteran Brian Lindsay, said: "I was a rear gunner and we really played our part, and so did those before us. It's really important to continue the commemorations like VE Day and Remembrance. We should never forget these lads and lasses that all served - it is vital that they are remembered on VE Day and that we carry it on.

"We don't celebrate it closely enough to remember it now, but we should."

Norma Heaversedge, 97, remembers the Second World War and is a veteran's widow.

She lives at Deangate Care Home and her husband and the father of her two daughters fought and was injured in World War II.

The family recently applied for his military medals to honour his service.

She told GB News: "I met my husband 10 years after the war and he was the only one left out of five in the tank they were in, so he was injured. He was in the 8th Armored Division under Montgomery's Tank Corps.

"They were out on manoeuvres one day and he was the oil can man who had to make sure the gun in the tank was working properly. He just bent down to pick the oil can up and something hit the tank from the Germans and it whizzed around and killed the four others he was with.

"I'm very proud of him, but he never talked much about the Army, because he'd been wounded and lost his mates, he'd had enough."

A new survey on behalf of the Royal British Veterans Enterprise (RBVE) found just 63 per cent of adults in the UK recognise VE Day as marking the end of the Second World War in Europe.

The RBVE said it shows "a gap in public understanding of military service past and present", but the survey found four in five (80 per cent) of UK adults say VE Day, which is celebrated on May 8, is an important part of British identity, and 79 per cent say it helps younger generations understand history.

Cllr David Leech is the Mayor of Barnsley and also a veteran. He said: "At the end of the day, when we go, who's left? I mean, my grandson, he does a lot of events with me, and he remembers. We go to the cenotaph together, and he remembers, so hopefully that generation will carry on remembering."

Deangate Care Home provides residential and dementia care and is rated Outstanding following a Care Quality Commission, with "exemplary" care and "kind and caring" staff who help residents to maintain their independence.

A fundraising challenge is being embarked upon to raise money for residents and veterans at the home, with a proportion also being donated to BIADS Barnsley, an Alzheimer's charity.

Activities Co-Ordinator Rachael Addy will be climbing over the O2 in London, bungee jumping off a bridge in Whitby, and abseiling down Liverpool FC throughout June.

Her aim is to raise enough money to fund more trips out, more entertainment in, sensory packs for those residents that are at a latter stage in their dementia journey and much more.

To find out more, or to donate, click here - https://www.gofundme.com/f/challenge-addy-deangates-annual-fundraiser