WAR veterans criticised the Queen and Tony Blair yesterday for failing to attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the Cenotaph to mark the 60th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day.

The Prince of Wales represented the Royal Family, while John Reid, the new Defence Secretary, was the most senior member of the Government at the distinctly low-key ceremony. Looking on from a balcony in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was the Duchess of Cornwall, taking part in her first big state occasion since her marriage.

Peter Watson, a former major in The Black Watch, said most of the veterans who attended the event regarded it as an insult that the Queen and the Prime Minister were not present. They also regarded the 25-minute commemoration as too low-key, with a short service led by the Right Rev David Conner, Bishop to the Armed Forces, and music from the Royal Artillery Band.

Mr Watson, 84, was awarded the Military Cross and a mention in dispatches for heroism in the Second World War, during which he was seriously wounded. Speaking before he laid a wreath, he said: “The whole thing has been dumbed down by twits in government who are unable to appreciate the significance of VE-Day. It’s a downright insult that the Queen was not given an opportunity to be here. It’s ignoring the people who died.

“I would also have liked to have seen the involvement of some present-day troops. Instead, it’s just a few old buggers standing here behind railings without even a regimental sergeant-major to line them up to look proud with their medals.”

Among those who laid wreaths were General Sir Michael Walker, the Chief of the Defence Staff, the chief of each of the Armed Forces, representatives of veterans’ organisations and personnel from the emergency services.

But it was not enough for Jack Bruce, 85, a former glider pilot who served in the D-Day landings and who got shot down at Arnhem. He had hoped the day would be a large-scale national celebration. Mr Bruce, who also laid a wreath, said: “It’s not good having something on such a small scale like this. If we don’t have proper memorials the younger generation will never understand what we went through.

“They’ll have no idea of what it means to be at war.”

Veterans of more recent wars were also unanimous in their condemnation. Bryan Toms, a former colonel in the Royal Army Medical Corps who served in the Gulf War, asked: “Where is Mr Blair? He’s sitting somewhere near here reorganising his Cabinet. We’ve travelled from Plymouth to be here. It would not have been too much of an effort for him to attend too.”

Geoffrey Millward, 74, a former musician in the North Staffordshire Regiment who served in Korea, said: “We are all disgusted that our Queen isn’t here. We blame the Government because it has no regard for tradition, particularly in the way that it is breaking up our regiments and merging them with others.”

Leonard Hamer, 83, of Stoke-on-Trent, an RAF corporal in the Second World War, said his colleagues felt snubbed. “We are all disappointed that the Queen and the Prime Minister are not here. When we arrived we looked around and thought that this was a nonentity,” he said.

“The veterans should have had a proper role, marching behind the band. It is a real shame, we are getting few and far between now.”

Victory in Europe was proclaimed on May 8, 1945. The Queen will lead national commemorations on Sunday, July 10, which has been designated as the principal day of remembrance, chosen as a date between VE-Day and VJ-Day (victory over Japan) which was proclaimed on August 15.

A spokesman for the Royal British Legion said it was satisfied with the memorial plans.

“Even as late as the end of last year there weren’t going to be events today, simply on July 10,” he said. “Veterans said that was not acceptable and that they wanted the day to be marked. The Government has done that and we welcome the fact the day has been officially commemorated.”

The ceremony was one of several in London. The Prince laid another wreath in Hyde Park and attended an open-air service by the Cavalry Memorial with more veterans, while in The Mall former members of the Royal Marines held their own ceremony in front of their unit’s memorial. There was also the party and concert in Trafalgar Square which mirrored the celebrations that took place there on the night that Churchill formally announced the end of the conflict.

Around the country, other events included an air show at the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, Cambridgeshire, a celebration dance in Albert Square, Manchester, a service and wreaths parade in Southampton and a wreath-laying parade and street party in Birmingham.

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: “The Queen will be in the Channel Islands on Monday and Tuesday for VE-Day celebrations and will be leading the national celebrations in July. I have no idea what she was doing today.”

www.timesonline.co.uk/VEday
The Times of May 8, 1945 in e-edition

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