VE Day 75 learning pack will resonate with Scots in lockdown

There’s a frontline and a minimum amount of rationing in our shops. We are probably the closest we’ve ever come to experiencing a fraction of what our grandparents had to endure in World War Two.
The VE Day 75 education pack was launched at Christie Park Primary School prior to lockdown. People across the country can now access all of the resources online. (Pic: Mark Owens/Poppyscotland).The VE Day 75 education pack was launched at Christie Park Primary School prior to lockdown. People across the country can now access all of the resources online. (Pic: Mark Owens/Poppyscotland).
The VE Day 75 education pack was launched at Christie Park Primary School prior to lockdown. People across the country can now access all of the resources online. (Pic: Mark Owens/Poppyscotland).

However, we have TV, mobile phones and the internet to keep us busy as we sit on our comfy couches, stay home and stay safe.

Our counterparts in the 1940s were not quite so lucky. Their children were sent to live with strangers while they tuned in to the radio for updates, cowered in darkened front rooms listening for air raid sirens and received letters from their loved ones on the frontline every few months.

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The lockdown has, however, given us all a wee taste of what it was like.

Getting their hands dirty....to help launch the VE Day 75 pack, prior to schools being closed. (Pic: Mark Owens/Poppyscotland).Getting their hands dirty....to help launch the VE Day 75 pack, prior to schools being closed. (Pic: Mark Owens/Poppyscotland).
Getting their hands dirty....to help launch the VE Day 75 pack, prior to schools being closed. (Pic: Mark Owens/Poppyscotland).

Arguably then there could never be a better time for youngsters to learn about celebrations to mark the end of the war in Europe.

May 8 will mark the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day.

And an exciting new digital education resource has been launched that will allow children across the country to learn about and celebrate the milestone.

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Poppyscotland’s new interactive resource will be delivered over the charity’s social media channels and learning website from now right up until May 8.

Dressing up...was all part of the fun at a school which was once home to evacuees from Glasgow and would have witnessed its own VE Day celebrations in May 1945.  (Pic: Mark Owens/Poppyscotland).Dressing up...was all part of the fun at a school which was once home to evacuees from Glasgow and would have witnessed its own VE Day celebrations in May 1945.  (Pic: Mark Owens/Poppyscotland).
Dressing up...was all part of the fun at a school which was once home to evacuees from Glasgow and would have witnessed its own VE Day celebrations in May 1945. (Pic: Mark Owens/Poppyscotland).

Created in partnership with the Scottish Government and Legion Scotland, Poppyscotland intended for the material to be used in schools.

Prior to lockdown, it launched a 40-page VE Day 75 schools pack at Christie Park Primary School in Alexandria.

It was a fitting venue, as the school would have been home to some of the VE Day celebrations in 1945.

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Gordon Michie, Poppyscotland’s fundraising and learning chief, said: “It seems strange to use the word celebration in terms of commemoration but even Churchill said: ‘We may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing’ for VE Day.

Serious message...but that didn't mean pupils weren't able to have fun too with some poppy petals, which veterans now have a stack of at home to make supplies for Remembrance Day.  (Pic: Mark Owens/Poppyscotland).Serious message...but that didn't mean pupils weren't able to have fun too with some poppy petals, which veterans now have a stack of at home to make supplies for Remembrance Day.  (Pic: Mark Owens/Poppyscotland).
Serious message...but that didn't mean pupils weren't able to have fun too with some poppy petals, which veterans now have a stack of at home to make supplies for Remembrance Day. (Pic: Mark Owens/Poppyscotland).

“Christie Park was used by evacuees from Glasgow so seeing the children dressed up in 1940s clothing and singing the war time songs was really moving.

“It really hit home, in that old building, just how many stories those walls could tell if they could only talk.”

A matter of days after the launch, with Scotland in the grip of the coronavirus pandemic, the government asked us to stay home, save lives and protect the NHS.

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Working from their home offices, the learning team at Poppyscotland worked tirelessly to ensure a host of resources were available online for pupils to use as part of their new home-working regimes.

Schools pack...has been adapted and beefed up to provide online resrouces for pupils and parents across Scotland.  (Pic: Mark Owens/Poppyscotland).Schools pack...has been adapted and beefed up to provide online resrouces for pupils and parents across Scotland.  (Pic: Mark Owens/Poppyscotland).
Schools pack...has been adapted and beefed up to provide online resrouces for pupils and parents across Scotland. (Pic: Mark Owens/Poppyscotland).

So while events to mark VE Day have been postponed or cancelled, the charity hopes children and parents will take the time to find out more about the event.

The VE Day 75 resources contain an abundance of facts and stories about what life was like for those living through World War Two and includes sections on evacuees, rationing and Churchill’s VE Day speech.

Pupils will be able to discover more about how the war impacted their local community and can even stage their own ‘virtual’ VE Day party.

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Gordon said: “The 75th anniversary of VE Day is an important milestone in our nation’s history and it is vital that young people understand its significance.

“While the pack has been created for school pupils, people of all ages will be able to learn something from it.

“Even I discovered things I didn’t know about Bletchley Park and Kindertransport.

“All of the resources are downloadable and have also been translated into Gaelic so that they are accessible to children all over Scotland.

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“Every day, alongside the learning pack, our social media channels are also hosting Facebook Live lessons, quizzes and a range of activities to provide an interactive experience for pupils and their parents to enjoy during lockdown.

“The team has pulled out all the stops and their work is being enjoyed in homes across Scotland and the UK.”

Gordon believes the lockdown has an important part to play in understanding what our relatives lived through in the 1940s.

“With our own frontline and rationing in the shops, this is the closest we’ve come to experiencing what people went through during World War Two,” he said.

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“But we can sit back on our couches and stay safe; they didn’t have that option.

“Many left for the frontline knowing that they may never come home.

“With people panic buying, it’s a good time to consider what little people had back then but they got through it – together.”

With that spirit in mind, the veterans who make Poppyscotland’s five million poppies every year are busy working from home to ensure supplies for this year’s Remembrance Day are not impacted by Covid-19.

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It’s important to keep the charity’s annual fundraiser in mind, as its welfare officers are also now facing greater demand.

Gordon added: “In the current climate, our welfare team is feeling the pressure so it’s also important for us to say thank you to supporters who we rely on for donations.”

To access the VE Day 75 pack, visit learning.poppyscotland.org.uk.

Events cancelled but it’s still important to remember...

World War Two veterans in Scotland were gearing up to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day.

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However, lockdown meant those plans have had to be put on hold for the time being.

It remains to be seen whether plans for VJ (Victory in Japan) Day will go ahead in August.

It’s a huge disappointment for everyone involved but a necessary move.

Dr Claire Armstrong, CEO of Legion Scotland, said: “We had some very exciting plans for VE Day, including a huge parade and free open-air concert in Edinburgh’s Princes Gardens, which have been cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

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“With more than 100 Second World War veterans planning to attend, not to mention thousands of members of the public, this was unavoidable.”

However, Claire is pleased that youngsters will be able to learn about the event, thanks to the digital resources created in partnership with the Scottish Government and Poppyscotland.

She added: “The new digital resources will ensure the learning component of the VE Day commemorations can seamlessly switch from the classroom to family homes.

“Although we cannot meet face to face for the celebrations as planned, these resources will be a wonderful way for young people to come together and learn about life in World War Two and we can’t wait for them to share their photos, work and ideas on VE Day 75.”

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Like many others, Second World War veteran Ian Forsyth had been looking forward to taking part in a special VE Day celebration on May 8 – until the COVID-19 outbreak forced its postponement.

However, his incredible story features as part of the digital resource so children can learn what life was like for those who experienced the war.

Ian said: “While we cannot congregate to celebrate VE Day, it is heartening to know that we have something in place that will allow us to come together as a country and learn about what was an incredibly important moment in our history.

“I would encourage all youngsters to get online to find out more about what life was like 75 years ago.”

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