At 12 noon today, residents of Abingdon gathered around the town’s war memorial to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day. The ceremony brought together townspeople, veterans, local dignitaries, members of the Abingdon Fire Service, police, and Scouts.
The town crier began with a formal proclamation. He remembered the celebrations in 1945, when the United Kingdom and its allies celebrated the end of the war in Europe, and spoke of Abingdon’s commemoration as a tribute to those who gave so much for the cause of freedom.
A two-minute silence followed. The flag of the Royal British Legion was lowered in respect.
Wreaths of red poppies were then laid at the base of the memorial, joined by bunches of blue flowers, including some cornflowers. In France, the blue cornflower, known as the “Bleuet de France,” serves as the national symbol of remembrance, similar to the poppy in the UK.
Another flower, the dandelion, is the flower of military children. Some of them have shared their writings with the Royal British Legion in Abingdon. Here is one that Clare sent me:
In folklore, blowing dandelions is believed to carry your dreams, wishes and thoughts. This is why I feel it is a perfect flower for military children.
When I see a dandelion, I wish for peace for the world. I pluck it by the stem, hold it to my lips and blow. As the wind gushes past, I watch the fairies fly in different directions, carrying my wishes and thoughts into the sky. At this moment, I feel like my dad is right by my side. I want to reassure him that I am OK. I don’t want him to worry about me as he has an important job to do. I think about how much I love him and how much I miss him.
My mind wanders away from my own life and I start to think about what it would have been like for children in World War II. Would they have had the same hopes and wishes? I think they would but their main wish would probably have been that their dads survive the War. I never want this to be my main wish and that is why I am grateful that I am not a child of war.