Head of Royal Navy pays personal 'thank you' to Second World War veterans who fought for peace ahead of VE75

The head of the Royal Navy has paid tribute to those who fought in the Second World War ahead of VE75 commemorations.
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In a video online, First Sea Lord Admiral Tony Radakin said ‘thank you’ to those who fought to bring peace to Europe with the end of the war in 1945. Victory in Europe Day is marked tomorrow.

Adm Radakin referred to his Royal Artillery grandfather who served in north Africa, and said it was a ‘great shame’ planned events had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus lockdown.

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In the video he said: ‘This week marks 75 years since Victory in Europe and obviously it's a great shame that we can't have the celebrations that we first had planned.

First Sea Lord Admiral Tony Radakin. Picture: Kalvin BurrowsFirst Sea Lord Admiral Tony Radakin. Picture: Kalvin Burrows
First Sea Lord Admiral Tony Radakin. Picture: Kalvin Burrows

‘But nevertheless it's really important that we find some time to pause and remember what was achieved.

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‘For me when I think about it I think about my grandfather who was a private in the Royal Artillery who saw service in north Africa, and like many of his generation, it wasn't something that he liked to speak about.

‘But I really want to say thank you to him and to all those veterans for what they achieved. As Winston Churchill said: "This is your victory". Thank you.’

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In a tweet he added: ‘Although we can't be with our veterans to mark #VEDay75, I want to make sure they all know how much we appreciate the sacrifices they and their generation made for us.

‘Although we can't come together to celebrate, we are incredibly grateful.’

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