Junior ambassadors visit VE Day 80th anniversary exhibition

Yesterday (17 April 2025), two of our EPAS junior ambassadors, Jayden O'Brien and Erdem Gultekin, attended a trip to the Thameside Complex in Grays to see an exhibition marking the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day, which entailed the Nazi German surrender to Allied forces on 8 May 1945 and signalled the end of the European theatre of the Second World War later that month.

The exhibition, organised by volunteers at Thurrock Museum, showcased several stories from the Second World War in Thurrock, including the stories of local residents such as Palmer’s alumni Pete Tunstall who survived imprisonment at the Nazi Colditz Castle POW camp. War memorabilia was also on display, including surviving items from the war in Thurrock and also Thurrock war records, such as a list of buildings in the borough which were damaged during German bombing campaigns.

After the exhibition, the ambassadors also visited the war memorial in Grays Town Centre to pay their respects, as well as a bench near Grays Beach which was dedicated by former mayor of Thurrock Barry Palmer on 6th June 1994 to commemorate the bravery and tenacity of those who served and took part in D-Day Operation Overlord on 6th June 1944.

80 years on, it is more important than ever to remember the lives of those who sacrificed everything in World War 2 to fight the forces of fascism and to share their stories and the stories of those who survived.

Lest We Forget.