Why VE Day's 75th anniversary means so much to North Yorkshire's Armed Forces

But the North Yorkshire Armed Forces Community Covenant Network believes the 75th anniversary of VE Day offers a special opportunity for young people to speak with their elders about the Second World War generation too.

The North Yorkshire Armed Forces Civil Integration Partnership Board is the leaders’ group in the county and meets twice a year, chaired by the Commander of Catterick Garrison, a role which was taken up by Lieutenant Colonel Jim Turner late last year. Membership is drawn from local authorities, the NHS, police, Armed Forces units and supporting organisations.

The first North Yorkshire signatories signed the covenant at a ceremony at Catterick Garrison – reportedly the largest garrison in Europe – on June 30, 2011.

Nine years on, it brings together about 40 organisations in the public and voluntary sectors to support the livelihoods of those who have served who are still serving – and the scheme is now common place across the country, said the chairman of the North Yorkshire Community Covenant Network, Neil Irving.

North Yorkshire, though, is significant for its numbers of military personnel – the Ministry of Defence employs 15,000 people in the county, said Mr Irving, the county council’s assistant director of policy, partnerships and communities.

He said: “One of the great things about the Bank Holiday commemoration is that it’s an opportunity to recognise and thank everybody who was involved in the sacrifice of that Second World War generation.”

That might not necessarily be those who fought abroad, said Mr Irving, but also those who worked on the Home Front or children who were evacuated from endangered cities. This year’s commemorations are set to be much quieter than planned as people are asked to stay indoors to help stem the spread of Covid-19.

But Mr Irving believes that the occasion still offers the opportunity to pay tribute to the efforts of those who contributed between 1939 and 1945. “I think given the circumstances, it has an opportunity to be as significant [as usual]. It will be very much about what people do themselves.

“There’s obviously going to be lots of stuff on the TV. We will (be able) to watch that and learn about it.”

People can also take the chance to speak with their grandparents about their memories of May 8, 1945, he said.

“There are still a fair number of people around [who were there] on VE Day that weren’t in the forces but as children would have remembered.

“It’s something that’s shaped our society and our community, for many people has shaped their family and their family history,” Mr Irving said.