#VEDay80 - Winston Churchill

“Advance Britannia. Long Live the Cause of Freedom. God Save The King!” - Winston Churchill on the 8th May 1945.

As we all celebrate and remember the bravery and sacrifices made by millions of people; do be sure to share a toast in honour of her greatest architect - the old British lion that carried the weight of freedom itself, in her darkest hour.

 As our founder Andreas Koureas wrote in his piece, 'The Destiny of a Lion', on Churchill:

"Laying at the core of the campaign of resistance against the Nazis, the British lion saved the free world. Had Britain and her Empire capitulated after the fall of France, the Nazis would have dedicated their entire military might against the Soviet Union—most likely striking deep into Eurasia. The United States would have remained geopolitically and militarily isolated, and North Africa would have served as fascist Italy’s playhouse. Imperial Japan would have dominated the Far East, and there would have been no opening for a D-Day and the subsequent liberation of Western Europe."

On VE Day, the 8th May 1945, Winston Churchill acknowledged this moral heroism by Great Britain, the British Empire, and Commonwealth - in a public broadcast:

“We were the first, in this ancient island, to draw the sword against tyranny. After a while we were left all alone against the most tremendous military power that has been seen. We were all alone for a whole year.”

Great Britain and her Empire maintained the struggle alone - as the only major power - after the fall of France, until the invasion of the USSR in June 1941.

In that lonesome year, Great Britain, the British Empire, and Commonwealth fought across many different parts of the globe - from Greece to the Atlantic; from North Africa to raids over Western Europe, and more. Had Britain collapsed/sought an ignoble peace, there could be no Allied victory - with the world today being so dark, one not bear to imagine it.

Churchill's relentless determination to carry on, no matter how bleak, can be seen in his war memoirs. Writing of the evening he became Prime Minister - the 10th May 1940; he said,

“I felt as if I were walking with destiny, and that all my past life had been but a preparation for this hour and for this trial.”

As the saying goes, "cometh the hour, cometh the man."

Wishing you all a very happy #VEDAY80, from the Veritas Britannia team.