This week marks 80 years since Victory in Europe on 8th May 1945.

We will mark 80 years since Victory over Japan on 15th August.

In May 1940, in his first speech as Prime Minister, Churchill proclaimed “let us go forward together with our united strength.”

The united strength of the wartime generation carried them through six years of suffering and sacrifice to preserve our way of life and the values we hold dear.

We remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, those on the home front, the evacuated children, the women who stepped into essential roles, and the Bevin boys, many from Barnsley, who worked down the pit to power the war effort.

I am lucky to have grown up hearing stories from my Grandad, who served in the RAF, but generations born today will not have those same opportunities to connect directly with veterans.

It is up to us to keep their collective memories alive.

As a proud supporter of our Armed Forces, it has been a huge honour to be the Minister responsible for the VE and VJ Day celebrations.

This Government launched initiatives to ensure every generation can connect with their local history.

Letters to Loved Ones has encouraged school children and family members to explore their family histories, looking for letters and artifacts to learn about life during wartime.

This was alongside ‘Our Shared Story’, bringing together materials for schools from organisations like the Royal British Legion, encouraging conversations between veterans and young people.

Eighty years on from that great victory we have seen a week of celebrations and commemorations, spanning across all our nations and regions.

The Cenotaph was draped in flags overnight into Monday, and a military procession included over 1,300 Armed Forces personnel and Uniformed Youth.

There was also a flypast led by a Second World War RAF Lancaster, featuring the Red Arrows.

I was honoured to watch from the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace.

Street parties across the country replicated those that broke out on the streets in 1945, when the news of peace in Europe arrived. I was delighted to join His Majesty the King and Members of the Royal Family to meet veterans at a tea party at Buckingham Palace.

Iconic buildings were lit up as beacons of strength and national unity, symbolising the return of light after an era of blackouts, including our own Town Hall in the centre of Barnsley.

On VE Day itself, an official Service of Remembrance took place at Westminster Abbey, before celebrations concluded with the VE Day Concert.

The Second World War was just that- a world war. Britain would not be the country we know today if it wasn’t for the Commonwealth troops who fought tirelessly for Allied victory.

We will mark that contribution again on VJ Day on August 15th.

On that first VJ Day, Prime Minister Clement Attlee said to Parliament “Thus the long, grievous war is at an end, and peace on earth has been restored.”

The legacy of those who gave or risked their lives will always have a profound impact.

We remember that great generation, all they gave, and all they fought for.