In the 11th of a series of articles, Revd James Gilder of Wanstead Parish invites the community to join him in planning how Wanstead can best commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two
What generation do you think of as being ‘old’? I think we all tend to have an internal view of what elderly people should resemble, perhaps linked somewhat to what such people were like in our childhood. For me, it always comes as a surprise that people in their eighties now probably enjoy Elvis more than they do Glenn Miller. A generation ago, it may have come as a surprise that the elderly liked Glenn Miller more than they did Gracie Fields!
The vision I have of people like my grandfather, gardening in a shirt and tie, will probably remain with me forever – but now, even many of those who counted themselves hippies in the 1960s (and which represented almost unfathomable and frightening modernity to those besuited gardeners who grew up pre-war) are ‘getting on in years’.
Times move on, and now – a full 80 years after the end of World War Two – we find ourselves bidding farewell not only to the very last of the ‘greatest generation’ of people who saw action in that war but also those who could remember that time, even as children. Whatever one’s politics, there can be little doubt that, as we look back to VE Day, we ought to celebrate the bravery and fortitude of so many who gave up a very great deal to fight against tyranny and fascism. As the storm clouds caused by dictators and egotists gather once more over the world, never has there been a more important time than now to recall and re-instil the values that previous generations fought to secure for us.
The 75th anniversary of VE Day would no doubt have been a very substantial celebration had a certain virus not got in the way of the world. So, as this 80th anniversary approaches, my thought is that the people of Wanstead could come together to do something special. One idea I’ve had is that we could get our schoolchildren involved in interviewing elderly members of our community about their reminiscences of the war, and that we could make a film of this which could be shown, perhaps in conjunction with a concert, at the church. The money raised could go towards professionally cleaning the war memorial and retouching the names (some of which have started to wear off) in readiness for Remembrance Day. You may have other and better ideas! Or perhaps you would like to volunteer in some way?
If you would be interested in joining me to plan something special to mark this 80th anniversary – possibly the last opportunity we will have to record people’s memories of Wanstead at war – I’d like to invite you to a special planning meeting in the vestry at Christ Church on 19 February from 7pm. We will discuss and set in motion what we can do as a community to celebrate this important milestone.
For more information and to register your interest in attending the meeting, email wansteadparishadmin@uwclub.net
