80th Anniversary of Victory in Europe and Victory over Japan

Baroness Kingsmill Excerpts

Friday 9th May 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Kingsmill (Lab)]

My Lords, yesterday we celebrated VE Day with a fly-past, parades and parties. It was a happy time, a reflection of the relief and joy that was felt at the end of a long and terrible war, a war which reshaped the world and touched nearly every family across the UK and beyond. We have heard many wonderful stories today of people’s memories, and of their experiences of their fathers, their grandfathers and others.

For me, as for many noble colleagues, it was also personal. My father came from New Zealand to serve in the Royal Air Force. He flew missions in Liberators at very low altitudes, hunting enemy submarines to protect the convoys that kept Britain supplied during the darkest days of the war. I like to think that possibly he protected a convoy that the father of the noble Baroness, Lady Rafferty, was sailing in—that would be a nice connection. He also met and married my mother, a young woman from the Welsh valleys, who spent much of the war years working in a munitions factory.

In many ways, they were representative of the commitment of the Commonwealth countries and of women to the war effort. Recently, on 25 April, we remembered the sacrifice of the Anzacs. Many Australian and New Zealand servicemen were fighting on behalf of the UK and the rest of Europe at the time. I also point out that my grandfather fought on behalf of the UK at Gallipoli and was injured there, so in the family we had a history of Commonwealth support for the European wars.

Like so many others have mentioned, my parents spoke very little about what happened, but we know and have learned what it cost, and we know what it means. Victory came at an enormous price. Millions died, families were broken and Europe was left in ruins. Yet out of this devastation came a determination to prevent such a war happening again.

We need to remember the role of our allies, particularly the United States. Although initially it was reluctant to enter the war, it became a decisive and committed partner in the fight against tyranny. Out of that co-operation, NATO was born. A shared commitment among democratic nations to stand together in defence of peace and security, NATO has been a cornerstone of European stability ever since. Its member states, united by common values, continue to play an essential role in deterring aggression and upholding international law. I am pleased to be part of the British contribution to NATO.

We are now, however, reminded that such peace cannot be taken for granted. The war in Ukraine is a stark and painful warning. Once again, people are fighting and dying in Europe; once again, a sovereign country is resisting an aggressor. We cannot be complacent. Europe may be on the brink of war again. Maybe it already is at war, maybe in a different form. The cyberattacks that have been taking place across Europe are maybe the modern equivalent of bombs. Our Armed Forces in the UK and across our alliances continue to play a vital role in defending our values and supporting peace and stability. We owe them not only our thanks but our full and active support. We need to increase their numbers.

The past holds powerful lessons, and one of the clearest is this: peace is not the absence of war. It is something that we need to build, protect and uphold day by day, generation by generation. We honour those who fought by living up to the world they hoped to create.