An army veteran has broken down over the extraordinary sacrifice made by fallen British soldiers as she urged her compatriots to pay their respects on Victory in Europe Day.
Iris Lofty, who is a member of the Royal British Legion in Wycombe Marsh, served in the Territorial Army for four years.
The 86-year-old told GB News: “You’ve got to remember that if it hadn’t been for those people, none of us would be here today.
“And that means a lot to me. And I’ve been out to the War Graves and I think everybody should attend and go there to see how many people were lost.
Ray Addison VE Day
mm-v2.simplestream.com
“Just, you know, what they hear is not enough. You need to go and see it.”
Lofty, who was just eight-years-old when the United Kingdom celebrated the surrender of Nazi Germany and recalled the moment on GB News earlier today, also discussed her reason for serving in the TA.
Speaking from Buckinghamshire, Lofty said: “I’m a royalist and it was something for my Queen and for the country.
“I don’t know, just a feeling that I needed to do something and the time and I enjoyed it very much.”
Iris Lofty urged Brits to visit graves commemorating soldiers who died in the Second World War
PA
She added: “What I loved about it was we’ve done the assault courses and also we used to go out at midnight from right out in the country.
“We used to have to crawl through fields and go through villages and try not to wake the dogs up because they would give us away that we were there.”
More than 380,000 British soldiers were killed in combat during the Second World War.
An additional 70,000 people died in the United Kingdom in its civilian death toll, including 40,000 in the seven-month period in which Germany bombarded Britain during the Blitz.
The V for victory sign was commonly used by Winston Churchill
PA
Today marked the 78th anniversary of VE Day, which is also commemorated on May 8 in France and Poland.
Britons celebrated the defeat of Nazi Germany in their droves back in 1945.
Former Prime Minister Winston Churchill waved to crowds of thousands from Whitehall and even showed the V for victory sign.
The late Queen Elizabeth II, who died last September at the age of 96, even went incognito to join in celebrations with members of the public.
Iris Lofty is a member of the Royal British Legion in Wycombe Marsh
GB News
In its own summary about the significance of VE Day, the Royal British Legion said: "After nearly six years of war Germany officially surrendered on 7 May 1945 and the conflict was finally over.
"The unconditional surrender came after Adolf Hitler took his own life on 30 April as the Allies surrounded Berlin, and was authorised by his successor Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz.
"News that the war in Europe had ended did not come as a surprise and had been anticipated back in Britain for some time as the Allies advanced on Germany."