By Lt Col (Retd) Francis Brancato OBE, Chairman

Today we commemorate the 75^th anniversary of VE Day – perhaps not in the way we had planned and expected given the current situation but that will not stop us from taking a quiet moment to reflect on the service, courage and sacrifice of that greatest of generations to whom we owe so much today.

Gibraltar of course played a pivotal role in that final victory. The Rock stood out defiant and indomitable – a beacon of light in an otherwise occupied Europe. Without Gibraltar there would not have been an Operation Torch – the Allied landings in North Africa; nor would Malta had been able to survive the enemy stranglehold; or Force H secure the sea lanes. While those volunteers from the GDF stood shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the garrison-their families were evacuated to locations as far flung as Jamaica, Madeira and the UK.

Let us also remember and honour those Gibraltarians who fought and died in all the theatres of war – from the Western Desert to Monte Cassino; D Day to the Battle of Britain; the Atlantic convoys to Burma. Of course, for many the war was still not over, and fighting would continue in the Far East till August.

So today, as we face some of the most challenging times since the war, it is important to unite in recognition and tribute to all those - military and civilian- who stood up to tyranny and secured the freedom that we value so much and that we can never take for granted.

LIVE ON

TO THE MEMORY OF THE FALLEN AND THE FUTURE OF THE LIVING