May 9th 2025

Like many others, I found Victory in Europe Day yesterday incredibly emotional. I was thankful to see so many events commemorating May 8th 1945 when the second world war in Europe came to an end and I wondered how many more years we will celebrate it. Those who actually took part in the conflict grow fewer each year; as my family on both sides seem to have a habit of having children in their late forties, I am only one generation away from those brave men and women.

My own parents did their bit for the war effort, my father serving in the RAF and my mother in ENSA and as myself and my husband Kenny prepared to perform a concert yesterday, I felt my emotions rising. We were to include as many songs from the 1940’s as possible and I find each of these very moving. I wondered if I would get through the evening without tears getting the better of me as I sang La Vie en Rose, Lilli Marlene, We’ll Meet Again, White Cliffs of Dover and many more, but thankfully I was able to.

In this blog I wanted simply to say, I am forever humbled by the bravery of the people who gave everything in that war, so that future generations could live peacefully and free from tyranny. I can only hope that if such service was demanded of me, I would be brave enough to fight as they did, in all sorts of ways.

If you like a wartime read, look out for my novel Julia Sleeps, coming soon to Amazon and other online bookstores, thanks!