Churches to mark 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day
Published on 5 May 2025 3 minutes read
Congregations across the Church of Scotland are holding special events to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day.
It celebrates the formal acceptance by the allies of the Second World War of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945.
A special Liberation Day service will take place simultaneously at St Andrew's in the Grange Church in St Peter Port, Guernsey and at Glasgow Cathedral on 9 May at 9:30am.
The two services will bring together the two communities in a shared act of remembrance and thanksgiving to commemorate the evacuation of children and families from the Channel Island to Scotland.
The islands of Guernsey, Herm, Sark, Alderney and Lihou were under German occupation from 1940 until 1945 - the only British territory to be captured.
Rev Justin Taylor, minister of St Andrew's in the Grange, said the services will honour the courage of those who left Guernsey, the compassion of the Scottish communities who received them and the lasting friendships forged during that time.
"Liberation Day is a time to remember the pain of separation and the joy of return—but also the kindness shown along the way," he added.
"Linking our service with Glasgow Cathedral brings history into the present and reminds us of the strength we draw from one another, then and now."
With war all is lost
A global conflict and the deadliest in history, the Second World War resulted in the deaths of up to 85 million people, more than half of which were civilians.
Millions died in genocides, including the Holocaust, and by massacres, starvation, and disease.
After the Allied victory, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea were occupied, and German and Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes.
In Lanark, South Lanarkshire, churches and the local community council are hosting a service of commemoration in St Nicholas Parish Church on 11 May at 6pm.
All are welcome and a reception will be held afterwards.
In Dumfries, St Michael's Church is holding a special service on 11 May at 11.15am, followed by the opening of a Garden of Remembrance and refreshments in the church hall.
All are welcome to attend the service and celebrations and organisers note: "The ending of the most devastating war in history would not have been possible without the combined efforts and resources of all the Allied forces from east and west, from the Commonwealth and beyond."
The official civic commemoration to mark the anniversary in Inverclyde is being held at Old Gourock and Ashton Parish Church in Gourock on 8 May at 11am.
It will be led by parish minister Rev David Burt who is very keen for older people with lived memories of VE Day to be part of it.
He hopes to recreate the spirit of May 8, 1945, when people took to the streets across the region in huge numbers to rejoice at the end of a war, which had left much of the area destroyed in the Clydebank Blitz in March 1941.
The then Prime Minister Winston Churchhill is said to have paid a secret visit to Gourock.
In London on 11 May, St Columba's Church in Knightsbridge is hosting an anniversary service at 11am.
It will be followed by a free afternoon event to pay tribute to one of the Church's most heroic past Moderators, Very Rev Dr Fraser McLuskey, chaplain to the war-time Special Air Service. (SAS)
"The Parachute Padre and the SAS", which will take place at 1.30pm and will recount the minister's exploits as he served behind the lines with the elite unit during the liberation of North West Europe.
He was an unarmed man of God among men of war.
Actor David Robb of Downton Abbey fame will read Dr McLuskey's own words from his autobiography "Parachute Padre".
Moderator
Rt Rev Dr Shaw Paterson, Moderator of the General Assembly, is taking part in a faith leaders procession at a Service of Thanksgiving being held in Westminster Abbey on 8 May to mark the anniversary.
The service will be attended by members of the Royal Family and broadcast by the BBC.
On 11 May, the Moderator will preach at St Andrew's Church in Brussels, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the building, established for the surviving Scottish soldiers who remained in the Belgium capital city after World War One.
