Air cadets in Honiton are marking the 75th anniversary of VE Day with a video that recreates Winston Churchill’s speech that he made at the end of the war in Europe.
Despite being unable to meet because of the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 lockdown, Air Cadets from 1064 (Honiton) Squadron have compiled the video to commemorate Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s famous speech announcing the end of the war in Europe, which was broadcast from Downing Street on May 8, 1945.
The air cadet squadron was originally due to participate in the local celebrations before the requirements of social distancing and isolation meant that all the events had to be cancelled.
Instead they came up with the idea to produce a video to celebrate the event.
The cadets who appear in it, who age from 12 to 16 years old, each recorded a small section of the speech at home.
Some of them had to submit several recordings to ensure a consistent standard and appearance for the finished product, which took around 10 days to complete.
The separate pieces, along with an introduction by the chairman of the Honiton branch of the Royal British Legion, were then put together by Flying Officer Mike Neve from the squadron.
Flying Officer Neve said: “The idea came about because we were no longer able to support the public VE day celebrations and the staff felt it was important not to let the event pass by without something being done. It was also another way of keeping the cadets engaged with the squadron while we are all in lockdown and unable to meet face to face.”
The Commanding Officer of 1064 (Honiton) Squadron, Flight Lieutenant Justin Felice, said: “This just goes to show the considerable lengths that my staff, and others like them across the country, are going to keep the cadets engaged during this difficult time, along with the level of commitment shown by the cadets to the organisation and its values of respect, integrity, service and excellence.”
The squadron will be putting the video on its Facebook page, which can be found at https://www.facebook.com/1064honitonatc/
For further information on the RAF Air Cadets, or how to join, please go to https://www.raf.mod.uk/aircadets
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