We went to breakfast earlier than usual so that we could catch a train to London. When we arrived at Windsor and Eton Riverside station, we had to wait several minutes whilst the ticket office assistant was on the telephone. When she had finished her call she informed that there was a reduced service during the summer months and this was advertised on the platform. At this stage we hadn’t got as far as the platform! We were further told us that the next train wouldn’t be for 45 minutes. We decided not to wait and walked to Windsor’s other station, Windsor and Eton Central, where there would be more options. We purchased our tickets which included the London Underground and as soon as we got onto on the platform a train arrived.

We arrived in London next to Tower Hill and the Tower of London without any delays. I purchased a Historic Royal Palaces season ticket for Mr C’s birthday present. We planned to visit Hampton Palace later during our stay so this option provided good value for money. Scaffolding was surrounding the main entrance to the Tower of London so visitors were directed to a temporary entrance.

Once inside the Tower, we walked round the outside of the White Tower to see the ceramic poppy display that had, once again, been installed at the Tower. On this occasion the poppies on display mark 80 years since VE day and the end of the Second World War.

At one stage the Tower’s resident squirrel scuttled through the poppies right to my feet probably expecting a tasty snack. He left disappointed, he needs to see the Yeoman Warders for those. Speaking of Yeoman Warders, we made our way from the poppies to the meeting point for a Yeoman Warder talk. Our guide tuned out to be John, the Yeoman Gaoler.  The talk was excellent, bringing the Tower and its history to life. One part of the tour wasn’t possible, The Church of St Peter ad Vincula, which was cordoned off for restoration and repairs.

Next we had some lunch in the busy café where we were lucky enough to find a seat. We left the café to find that there was no longer a queue to visit the Crown Jewels so we took the opportunity to see them next as they are always worth a visit. When we had finished in the Jewel House we found that there was no queue to enter the White Tower which is home to the Royal Armouries so we went in.

It was an unexpected bonus be able to do both, we had thought the queues to get in would be too long and we would only have time to visit one of them. As we were leaving the White Tower, I purchased a couple of books about the Tower of London and a book about the Crown Jewels. It was now time to catch the train back to Windsor. The trains ran smoothly and we arrived back in Windsor at 6pm. We were able to book a table in the Giggling Squid for later in the evening after we had freshened up after our days adventure. The food and service were excellent and we got chatting to a couple of ladies on a nearby table. We returning to the George Inn for a nightcap before turning in for the night.

VE Day in 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

Thursday 8th May 2025 will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. This momentous event will be commemorated nationally on Victory in Europe Day (8th May 2025).

I have started the challenge early so that the completion medal arrives in plenty of time for the 80th anniversary. I aim to complete the challenge of 80km (50 miles) from the 18th Mar – 4th Apr 2025. The live tracking map shows me walking the distance along the Normandie beaches.

The medal is double sided with the gold chrome star on the front which along with the ribbon is a faithful recreation of the ‘1939-1945 Star’ that was awarded to all in operational service during the Second World War. The reverse of the medal carries the 80th anniversary logo.

This exhibit is a fiberglass model used to create the bronze statue that now stands in Whitehall Place, London. The London statue was unveiled by the Royal Tank Regiment’’s Colonel in Chief, Her Majesty the Queen, on the 13th of June 2000.

The memorial depicts a Comet Tank Crew and is a permanent tribute to those who have served in the Royal Tank Regiment and its antecedents.*

The bronze figures shown here represent (from left) the Hull Machine Gunner holding a BSA machine gun, Turret Gunner, Commander with binoculars, Loader/Radio Operator and Driver of a Comet Tank.

Comets entered service in 1945, as a 32 ton Cruiser Tank armed with a 77mm gun. They served with the 11th Armoured Division for the last few months of the war in Europe.*

Take these men as your example.
Like them remember
That prosperity can only be for the free,
Who alone have the courage to defend it.

Pericles 490 – 429 B.C.

*from an information board next to the statue

Today is the 70th anniversary of VE Day, the public holiday that was celebrated in Britain on 8th May 1945 marking the end of WWII. As a sign of respect a two minute silence was observed at my place of work.

Huge crowds gathered in London on the following day. At 3pm Churchill made a radio broadcast. In Trafalgar Square, as his voice was relayed over loudspeakers, an eye-witness noted that ‘there was an extraordinary hush over the assembled multitude’.

King George VI and the Queen appeared eight times on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, while the two Princesses – Margaret and Elizabeth (now Her Majesty the Queen) – mingled with the crowds. Churchill later gave an impromptu speech on the balcony of the Ministry of Health, telling the crowds, ‘This is your victory!‘

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae
1915

I hope you can find time to watch the following video.  The songs are sung by three soldiers who have served in Afghanistan and the accompanying slides show images from the conflict zone.

This poem by John Hawkhead quite poignantly draws parallels between past and current conflicts.

Helmand

Night on the cold plain,
invisible sands lift,
peripheral shadows stir,

space between light and dark
shrouding secrets;
old trades draped grey.

Here too poppies fall,
petals blown on broken ground,
seeds scattered on stone

and this bright bloom,
newly cropped,
leaves pale remains,

fresh lines cut;
the old sickle wind
sharp as yesterday.

John Hawkhead
2009

*Some of you may remember this article, I originally posted it in 2009.

This is a window from All Saints Church that can be found within the grounds of Sudbury Hall.  A plaque in front of the window gives the following information:

When war was declared in 1939, Manchester like many other cities moved fast to protect its young; living in and near to the city centre.  Children were uprooted from the security of their homes, marched in columns to the railway stations and re-housed in selected locations within the countryside.   One such location was Sudbury, Derbyshire, which catered for the children of St Thomas’ School, Ardwick, Manchester.

Now some 60 years later, this historic event has finally been recorded for all time by the instillation of a specially designed stained glass window; handmade by Michael Stokes.  The window was commissioned by a small group of evacuees and presented to the community in the first year of the Millennium as an expression or their gratitude and thanks for the protection and affection, the experienced during the war years.

The Bishop of Derby dedicated the window at a special service on 3rd June 2001.

Synopsis (from the book cover):

Two beautiful women.  One mysterious man.  Separated by culture, class and war.

In the heat and bustle of 1950s Hong Kong, newlywed Claire Pendleton is changing from an uptight English wallflower to a beautiful, graceful bloom.  Then she meets Will, driver to wealthy Chinese couple the Chens, when she takes the job of piano teacher to their daughter.  His enigmatic presence enthrals and excites her.

A decade earlier, with war looming, Eurasian beauty Trudy Liang casts her own spell of fascination.  A social butterfly, she is a thing of mystery – and intrigue.  She knows everyone worth knowing in Hong Kong – Chinese and foreign, good and bad, rich and poor.  Including a newly arrived young Englishman – the magnetic Will Truesdale…

Review:

The novel is set in Hong Kong at the time of the Japanese invasion.  As well as being a love story it is also a historical novel.  The story switches backwards and forwards between two periods of time, 1941-42 and 1952-53.  The book describes what it was like at that time and how the invasion affected the lives of the people who lived there before, during and after the invasion.

The characters are well drawn and in some cases intriguing.  I found the story compelling it was difficult to put the book down.  It one of those books where just have to keep reading one more page.  The story line keeps you guessing right up until the end so I haven’t gone into the plot in too much detail so it doesn’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read the book.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae
1915

I hope you can find time to watch the following video.  The songs are sung by three soldiers who are currently serving in Afghanistan and the accompanying slides show images from the conflict zone.

This poem by John Hawkhead quite poignantly draws parallels between past an current conflicts.

Helmand

Night on the cold plain,
invisible sands lift,
peripheral shadows stir,

space between light and dark
shrouding secrets;
old trades draped grey.

Here too poppies fall,
petals blown on broken ground,
seeds scattered on stone

and this bright bloom,
newly cropped,
leaves pale remains,

fresh lines cut;
the old sickle wind
sharp as yesterday.

John Hawkhead
2009