Rye will be celebrating VE Day with ‘live’ video links as explained further along in this article, some of which will be made available during Friday as shown below. It’s a very special celebration which we can all feel part of despite the lockdown restrictions and if you fancy a sing along join in with Rye Bay Crew on the video link we have included, the words to “We’ll meet again” are at the end of this article.
VE day was the day on which allied forces announced the surrender of Germany in Europe and took place on Tuesday, May 8, 1945. The day before, at 2.41pm on May 7 Germany surrendered which marked the end of Adolf Hitler’s war and triggered worldwide celebrations. In 2020, the bank holiday has been moved from the traditional May Day Monday to Friday 8th May as this is the anniversary of VE Day.
Huge public celebrations were planned but due to the pandemic have had to be scaled back but such an important event will not go unmarked, particularly as 2020 celebrates the 75th anniversary of VE day.
Once again, Rye is leading from the front and behind the scenes preparations have been made to celebrate the occasion remotely. The order of the day starts with a context address read by Colonel Anthony Kimber, President of Rye Royal British Legion from his garden in Rye:
Paul Goring, the town crier joins with a video of a special cry:
Neale East gives an exhortation in his capacity as Chairman of the Royal British Legion:
Followed by Paul Whiteman lowering the Standard:
Our mayor Michael Boyd reads a poem and lays a wreath:
The Rector Canon David Frost gave a closing prayer and the whole day is rounded off beautifully by Rye Bay Crew with a rendition of “We’ll meet again”:
We all know the tune but for those who don’t know all the words, here they are.
We’ll meet again
Don’t know where
Don’t know when
But I know we’ll meet again some sunny day
Keep smiling through
Just like you always do
’Til the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away
So will you please say hello
To the folks that I know
Tell them I won’t be long
They’ll be happy to know
That as you saw me go
I was singing this song
We’ll meet again
Don’t know where
Don’t know when
But I know we’ll meet again some sunny day
We’ll meet again
Don’t know where
Don’t know when
But I know we’ll meet again some sunny day
Keep smiling through
Just like you always do
’Til the blue skies
Drive the dark clouds far away
So will you please say hello
To the folks that I know
Tell them it won’t be long
They’ll be happy to know
That as you saw me go
I was singing this song
We’ll meet again
Don’t know where
Don’t know when
But I know we’ll meet again some sunny day
By Ross Parker and Hughie Charles, 1939
Image Credits: brecon.tynetwork.co.uk , Pintrest .
If anyone’s wondering why my Cry won’t be released until 6:55pm, it’s because it is part of an international act of celebration – Town Criers around the world are proclaiming the same Cry at their own locations at 6:55pm their local time, starting in New Zealand, to make a “Rolling Cry” around the globe.
Well done to everyone involved in putting this together it was brilliant and a piece of history itself in the present circumstances.