LETTER : VE Day: youthful tributes, British war aims and the power of silence

From Miss Nadine McCallion

Sir: In reference to "Queen sounds note to start the big party" (7 May), I would like to express how upset I was to see the attitudes of "the young" summed up in the phrase: "I don't see what it's got to do with me", attributed (once again) to indifference.

The young have no place in these celebrations, as we have no memories of 8 May 1945 and the six years that preceded. Our knowledge of the war is limited to history books and tales told by our grandparents. We can never fully comprehend the reality of war and therefore what the peace meant. I find it almost impossible to see it in anything but abstract political and historical terms.

Perhaps youth indifference to the VE Day celebrations was due partly to feeling left out. Personally, my reluctance to partake of the celebrations was due to a distaste for the emphasis on victory over the enemy. I would have preferred to see these celebrations encompass a more present-day outlook. Why was there no focus on the wars that carry on in other parts of the world?

Talking about the evil Germans reinvents them as modern-day enemies with the British appearing as righteous paragons. This kind of attitude may be a good ploy to reinstil a bit of national pride, but it also helps to breed a rather insidious nationalism.

Nevertheless I can and do appreciate that we owe the war generation an enormous debt and we should pay tribute to those who suffered or died during the war in order to attain such a vital peace.

Yours faithfully,

NADINE McCALLION

Sheffield

9 May

From Mrs Romy Dunn

Sir: What a miserable lot my contemporaries are. Would they rather the war hadn't ended, that they may not have even been born?

My mother was a teenage PoW in a Japanese camp. Although I'm only in my thirties I owe my existence to those who fought to release her. I'm extremely grateful and appreciate this chance to say thank you.

Yours,

R. DUNN

Woodford Green, Essex

8 May