Meeting of the Parliament 08 May 2025
It is a real honour to contribute to the debate. I associate myself with the motion in the First Minister’s name, with the moving speech that he gave today and, as Stephen Kerr said, with many of the speeches that he has made on the subject in the past. It is encouraging that all our party leaders have taken part in today’s debate to show the importance of the subject.
When I was considering what to speak about, I wondered whether I should focus on the celebration that the war in Europe had finished or whether I should recognise that the war continued for some time thereafter. I will do a bit of both.
There is absolutely no doubt that VE day was a celebration. The royal family posted a comment this morning to remind us that the then Princess Elizabeth went out on to the Mall on VE day, pulling down her uniform cap so that she could go out incognito to join the thronging crowds that had turned out to celebrate. She went on to reign over this country for 70 years and it was important for her to be among the people whom she would serve for seven decades.
We have heard many quotes today from Winston Churchill. The one that strikes me most is that he said:
“We may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing, but let us not forget for a moment the toil and efforts that lie ahead.”
Although there was celebration, there was still much to do.
Throughout this week, as I have watched many of the events shown on television and listened to today’s debate, I have been struck by the ever-dwindling number of people who fought in that war. When I watch remembrance Sunday events, I see that the veterans marching past the cenotaph look older and frailer and are fewer in number. That reminds me that we owe them a great debt of thanks for what they did, but that we also have an obligation to ensure that their memory lives on in future generations because of what they sacrificed during the war and, as Karen Adam reminded us, because many did not come home.
This morning, my three-year-old was excited that he did not have to wear his usual uniform to nursery and that he got to wear his party clothes. He did not know why he was wearing party clothes but, in years to come, he will, and I want to ensure that the next generation knows about the sacrifices of the past.
It is in that spirit that I really commend to members a two-part podcast produced by Parklands care home. The company has care homes across Moray and the Highlands and has produced a podcast called “Peace at Last: Memories of VE Day” so that memories will not be forgotten but will be passed on to the next generation. Listening to some of the residents’ experiences will bring a tear to your eye: tears of sadness because of what happened but also tears of joy at the resilience that many of those people still have eight decades after VE day.
I will pick a couple of those who shared their first-hand experiences. Dr Jean Munro is 101 years old and is a resident at Lynemore care home in Grantown-on-Spey. She spoke about working in hut 6 at Bletchley Park, but really did not acknowledge how important her role was. In fact, until the 1980s, she would not even tell her friends and family about the role that she played in the war. Then there is 101-year-old Mamie Cree. I know Mamie because her son, Stewart Cree, was a councillor and the convener of Moray Council. She speaks about how she was conscripted to go from Keith to Dalkeith during the war, which was a major thing for her because she had never travelled further than Elgin. Mamie speaks about her work in Army payroll but also about some of the positives, such as how she went to wartime dances and how, at one of those dances, she met her future husband, Jack, to whom she was married for 75 years.
I say all that because we must recognise the horrors of war, but we must also recognise that those stories will be lost if we do not continue to articulate them in the future. It is a commitment that I give to my boys and future generations; we must ensure that they know about the horrors of the past, and that we never forget the sacrifices of so many in that war and in many other conflicts.
16:10