Fiftieth Anniversary of the End of World War II (Hansard, 25 April 1995)

The Lord Privy Seal (Viscount Cranborne)
My Lords, I beg to move the Motion standing in my name on the Order Paper.
On 16th February, I made a Statement to your Lordships announcing proposals for a ceremony in Westminster Hall on Friday 5th May at 12 noon when both Houses will present humble Addresses to Her Majesty the Queen.
The Motion before the House today contains the terms of the Address proposed to be presented by this House. My noble and learned friend the Lord Chancellor will present the Address on behalf of the House and, in doing so, will make a short speech of his own. I am sure that the whole House will wish the event to be remembered as a great and enjoyable occasion.
On a more pedestrian note, it may be helpful if I mention briefly the arrangements for the ceremony. This House will meet at 11 o'clock on 5th May and, after Prayers, will formally adjourn to Westminster Hall. Those of your Lordships who are attending should make your own way to Westminster Hall, together with those members of your families who have tickets. I would hope that noble Lords are able to be in Westminster Hall by 11.30 a.m. Your Lordships will be able to sit with your accompanying family members, should you so desire.
In my Statement on 16th February, I said that it was proposed that there should be a reception in the Hall after the ceremony. However, in the event, so many Members of both Houses and their families have expressed a wish to attend that the whole of the Hall will be needed for seating. Therefore, sadly, it will not be possible to hold the reception after all. However, arrangements are being made for invited service representatives to be entertained at a small reception after the ceremony. I am sure your Lordships would wish that this House should have the opportunity of entertaining representatives of the organisations concerned.
Many of your Lordships fought in the last war. Many others of your Lordships lived through the war years although too young to join up. I hope, therefore, that those of your Lordships who are older than I am will forgive me if I underline what so many of you already know far better than I. I feel that the victory of 1945 represented, perhaps more than anything else, the victory of parliamentary government over tyranny. This year the people of this country will hold a number of events to commemorate the end of the war in Europe in May and the end of the war worldwide in August. I hope that your Lordships will feel that it is therefore entirely appropriate to begin this series of events with a 791 parliamentary occasion, and thereby to underline both the nature of our victory 50 years ago and the part that monarch and Parliament continue to play in our national life thanks to the sacrifices the nation made in what was after all the most terrible war in human history. I beg to move.

§ Lord Richard
My Lords, I start by thanking the noble Viscount the Leader of the House for giving us some of the practical details of the ceremony that is to take place. As regards the Motion I am very happy indeed to welcome it on behalf of the Opposition from these Benches. It seems to me that there are three principal reasons why it is right for us to remember VE-Day and for us to commemorate this occasion.
First, as the noble Viscount the Leader of the House said, the end of the European war represented a considerable military victory. After many years of fighting and after much travail the Allies succeeded in defeating a determined, efficient and dedicated enemy and it is right and fitting that we recall that feat of arms. Secondly, for us and for many of our allies the end of the war represented a triumph for democracy and for democratic ideals. It says much for this country that throughout the war Britain remained a functioning parliamentary democracy in which the government and Ministers were held publicly accountable and responsible. That, too, should be remembered and underlined.
792 Thirdly, 1945 gave the world the opportunity of devising institutions for international co-operation to try to ensure that such a war would not happen again. This year is also the 50th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations and that, too, we should recall. Finally, we should not forget that the war did not end in May 1945. In the Far East it continued until August and I for my part certainly read the proposed humble Address as encompassing both conflicts. It is right that we celebrate at this time but let us remember those for whom the ending of the war came somewhat later. It gives me great pleasure to support the Motion.

§ Lord Jenkins of Hillhead
My Lords, I think the previous time that we had a declaratory and commemorative Motion of this sort was just over seven years ago for the 300th anniversary of the Glorious Revolution. Although a few Members of your Lordships' House owe their fame, their fortunes and their titles to that change of regime, it was, I suppose, a minority interest and not very closely within our collective memory. The events of 50 years ago are a very different matter. It must be the case—such is our age structure—that over half the Members of your Lordships' House probably have adult memories of those May days 50 years ago. I congratulate the noble Viscount the Leader of the House on producing a Motion which, if I may say so, is both compendious and appropriate.
The noble Viscount the Leader of the House had the good sense to be born after VE-Day and even the noble Lord, Lord Richard, was of relatively tender years at that date, so I suppose that I am the first Member of your Lordships' House with adult memories of 50 years ago to speak on the Motion although I am consoled from feeling too isolated on age grounds by the prospect that the noble Baroness, Lady Hylton-Foster, will speak immediately after me.
I was briefly on leave in London in those May days and I remember thinking at the time, and also retrospectively, that the national mood was a curious intermingling of relief, exhaustion and hope. In a sense the relief has proved extremely well founded. We have after all enjoyed 50 years without any major war, which is almost unprecedented. I think that successive governments of this country can take a good deal of credit, through our being a key founder member of NATO—the most successful alliance in history—for the fact that that has been so. The hope may in some ways have turned out a little more disappointing—the hope certainly of finding a cure for our economic evils or a satisfactory role for Britain in the world. However, it is a considerable offset to that that we have had a secure half century of peace.
This is a Loyal Address and it is appropriate that in it we draw attention to the steadfastness of King George VI and his consort who is still brilliantly alive at the present time. Nearly the whole of the 50 years on which we look back today have been passed under the reign of the present Queen. That reign has been an unprecedented record of devoted service and 793 constitutional impeccability. My noble friends and I join with enthusiasm in the final sentence of the Motion and indeed in the Motion as a whole.

§ Baroness Hylton-Foster
My Lords, we on the Cross Benches welcome the opportunity to commemorate a victory of parliamentary democracy over cruel Axis dictatorship. We join in the welcome so eloquently expressed this afternoon to commemorate and give thanks to the Armed Forces and the civilian population for all that they did, and also to remember with pride the unstinting example shown by His late Majesty, King George VI and by Her Majesty our beloved Queen Mother.
At the same time we should remember with gratitude the part played by the Commonwealth, which came to our aid at a particularly difficult time. In particular I would like to mention the Indian Army and the regiments who fought so gallantly in our defence in North Africa, Italy, the Middle East and southern Asia at a time when we would not have won the war without their help. It is right that Parliament should take the initiative to lead the nation in commemorating in both May and in August in order to celebrate the complete end of the Second World War.

§ The Lord Bishop of Lichfield
My Lords, perhaps I may associate those who sit on these Benches with what has been said and express my appreciation of the arrangements which have been made. I should like to make one comment. The Chief Rabbi has recently suggested that by keeping the past alive we can be sure, or can seek to be sure, of keeping our future free. I believe that a humble Address which draws attention to the cost of the peace achieved 50 years ago can remind us of the need for vigilant strengthening and protection of that peace which we now have for both the present and the future. Therefore, because memory can in that way be a guardian of liberty, those who sit on these Benches gladly support the Motion that the humble Address be presented to Her Majesty in order to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.