80th Anniversary of Victory in Europe and Victory over Japan

Baroness Amos Excerpts

Friday 9th May 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Amos (Lab)]

My Lords, I thank my noble friend Lord Coaker for an excellent opening speech and congratulate the right reverend Prelate on her maiden speech; I look forward to working with her in the House. I also thank those noble Lords who have spoken before me, many of whom shared their personal recollections.

This is a week that, for me—and, I know, for millions of others—will live long in our collective memory. There was the sight of our veterans, fewer and fewer of them each year, fragile but resolute; consider the sharpness of their recollections. There were moving stories and tributes. Then there was relief at the vanquishing of the tyranny and injustice that we saw in that period; the belief in a safe and secure future; and the remembrance of lives lost, hopes extinguished, and families, communities and countries torn apart and destroyed. There for us all to see were resilience, resistance and courage.

However, in the midst of the celebration and commemoration, I was reminded of the conflicts that still plague our world as we again face turmoil and insecurity in Africa, in the Middle East, in Asia and, of course, on our own continent with Ukraine. I was reminded of the promise that we made ourselves—“Never again”—which puts the onus on us to resist tyranny, to challenge injustice and to do everything we can to bring peace and to find solutions to conflict. Our political engagement, diplomacy and foreign policy are more important than ever.

It is so important for us to defend democracy and to sustain our freedoms, but, as we celebrate Victory in Europe Day, I am also reminded that it was a world war. It involved so many—not just in Europe but in the Commonwealth, our overseas territories, the United States and the Far East. As my noble friend described so eloquently in terms of her own family, the battles occurred in many countries. I have personally seen the costs of conflict; I am very glad that I did not have to experience it personally.

This week has reminded me that we have so much still to do to make sure that our young people have a full understanding of our history. The noble Lord, Lord Wallace of Saltaire, talked about the importance of education, because our history is sobering as well as uplifting. During World War II, African and Caribbean people made significant contributions to the war effort through military service; I thank my noble friend Lord Coaker for recognising the involvement of Commonwealth and other friends.

Let us recognise that their involvement had, and continues to have, a long-standing impact. The RAF lifted its colour bar and 6,000 black African men volunteered: 5,500 as ground staff and 450 as air crew. Approximately 10,000 men and women from the black Caribbean joined the British Army. Eighty women joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force. The Royal Navy accepted no black crews. More than half a million Africans served in British uniform, with one-fifth involved in active combat. The RAF had squadrons from Nigeria, the Gold Coast, Trinidad and Jamaica.

People from Britain’s colonies also contributed financially, through fundraising campaigns and donations. The country of my birth, Guyana—as well as the neighbouring country, Suriname—played a key role in terms of the bauxite produced there. Some 397 ships were lost in Caribbean waters, accounting for 20% of all the Allied ships sunk; the Caribbean was important because of its proximity to the Panama Canal.

However, even with those contributions—here, education is so important—racism and prejudice were everywhere. Black soldiers were relegated to support roles, whatever their capabilities. Post-war black veterans often struggled to receive support. In 1948, one such person, Tom Boatin—not Boateng, like my noble friend—was refused service at Rules restaurant and the Minister of Food had to intervene so that he could get an apology. We must embrace our whole history, imperfect as it is. It is what has made us who we are: vibrant, dynamic and diverse, with the strong sense of fair play and fairness and the love of freedom and justice that are so deeply embedded in our sense of who we are.