Toby Neal on VE Day spent abroad, national pride and what a flag can mean

But, in modern Britain, the Union Jack does not necessarily mean that to everybody.

I happened to catch a "flags debate" on the Jeremy Vine show (hosted temporarily by Tina Daheley) arising from that Reform fuss and hear the input of an "activist and comedian".

“I’m not somebody who is particularly proud of being British," she said.

"I think that there are good things about the UK like the health service, like our education service, and there are awful things like colonialism and military expansionism around the world.

"We marched behind it (i.e., the Union Jack), as we colonised the world and the transatlantic slave trade and all the horrors that were committed with that.

"Let’s not pretend for a second that it isn’t the flag behind which we marched through Africa, through India, all of those places, enslaving people.”

So now the Union Jack is a target for the past-shamers.

On VE Day my parents, not then married, were in Sydney, my father serving in the Far East as a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm, and my mother being one of a party of British Wrens who had arrived in Australia in early 1945.

I know what they did through one of my mother's letters home, which I offer as a little insight into how VE Day was celebrated so many thousands of miles away - because of the time difference it seems Australia's VE Day celebrations were on May 9.

As Churchill's May 8 announcement wasn't until 11pm Sydney time, and nothing was official until then, things were initially muted, my mum and her colleagues not even being given the day off. They bought some Union Jacks to decorate the office and "proceeded systematically to do no work whatsoever".

In the evening she and my dad went to the cinema.

"We came out about 8.30 expecting there would be scenes of great jollity, but there were few people about, all the cafes were closed except one little dirty hamburger shop and no-one was drunk except the adolescents of about 16 & 17 (boys & girls) & an occasional small party of sailors sang, but it was rather pathetic.  

"We then went to the British Centre where Dick, by virtue of being an officer, isn’t really allowed, but we got in & danced. The atmosphere there was much better. Thousands of British servicemen all pretty happy & no drunks except one or two who fell quietly asleep.  

"We heard Churchill’s speech at 11pm which came through very clearly & it was wonderful to hear his voice & you couldn’t hear a pin drop. We then went to the thanksgiving service at the Cathedral at 11.15 pm. 

"It was nice to go then because I knew that you’d be doing the same thing at home & sang Now Thank We All Our God.  

"VE Day itself, which was the following day, was epic. Everything closed itself tight, the cinemas, the cafes, the pubs & every other place of entertainment. The trains went on strike for the day, reason unknown. 

"Everyone without many exceptions stayed in bed all morning. We went to this flat in Bondi where I met another pilot & one burst in just back from the ship & we had a terrific dinner & Dick & I excused ourselves to go to a concert, Pnina Salzman at the piano in Sydney Town Hall. The audience was restless & ill-mannered as they always are but she was very good, only 21.

"We then went on to the Victoria League Officers Club where again the atmosphere was better than anywhere else. There was drink there, but no-one again was drunk though some were trying very hard. 

"They sang & danced & were quite merry – I knocked back four gins to try to get in the mood but it had no effect whatsoever, so we left in a depression.  

"Ever since then I’ve been very homesick knowing how happy everyone must feel at home."