This VE Day, ‘never again’ has never rung so hollow

Simon Tisdall (It’s right to remember the dead of 1939-45. But keep the anger about current wars too, 4 May) asks of current global conflicts: why is this carnage tolerated, even normalised? He cites several reasons, but the one I identify with most is the overwhelming nature of it all – a world weariness shared by western governments. It is especially relevant to Gaza, which is in an extremely parlous state, yet the silence on its almost complete annihilation is thunderous. It is of great credit to the Guardian that it continues to publish articles on this.

Sheila Hancock (My VE Day was nothing like our image of it today. I hope we can honour what it really meant, 3 May) raises the sadness surrounding the decline of the legacy of that conflict, when “never again” and the building of a better world was the mantra – something that for a while was achieved for some. As Tisdall writes, people feel powerless to change any of it, but I cannot help but observe that governments calling bad actors to account more publicly might have some effect.
Jillian Forster-Walmsley
Skipton, North Yorkshire

• What a humane and sobering piece by Sheila Hancock. VE Day marks the defeat of fascism in Europe by the allied forces of the US, the Soviet Union, Britain, Canada and many others. The irony in Britain in May 2025 is that the victory over that far-right ideology is being commemorated in a hail of flags and poppies by a population that just a week ago voted convincingly for a nationalist party in the local elections. Perhaps the greatest vice of all is forgetfulness.
Adrian Hackford
Folkestone, Kent

• Like Sheila Hancock, although she doesn’t mention it in her article, I am a Quaker. It was impossible not to be moved by her reflective piece, which reminded me of a conversation I once had with my dear mother. One year, as VE Day approached, I asked her if she remembered the celebrations in 1945. There hadn’t been much of that in her house, she said. It was just six months or so since her brother Harry had lost his life with the Eighth Army in Italy. There must have been many other families like the Whitticks who mourned while others partied.
Bill McMellon
Chichester

• I am reminded of my mother’s remark on the 50th anniversary. Then, as now, the media emphasised the relief and happiness of that day. My mother said bitterly: “They never admit that the war changed life for the worse for many of us.” Her fiance had not returned from the Normandy landings, and her joy went with him.
Anne Maclennan
Cuguen, France

• I welcomed your article on the lack of awareness of the contributions that Black, Commonwealth and Muslim communities made during the world wars (Britons largely unaware of Black and Asian contribution to WW2 effort, research shows, 4 May). As you highlight, the armies, in their ethnic and faith mix, looked very much like the Britain of 2025 and nothing at all like the Britain of 1914 or 1939. Our project, Great Faith: Stories of Sacrifice and Contribution, which we hope to tour around the country, comprises 80 portraits by the renowned artist Arabella Dorman, of Muslim servicemen and women who fought during the world wars, and those who serve today. We hope it will help raise awareness of all those who have contributed to making Britain great.
Nizam Uddin
Convener, Great Faith: Stories of Sacrifice and Contribution

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