RAF Second World War veteran Dennis Bishop urged people to celebrate VE Day but never make the same mistakes as the past.
Dennis, 99, is a former Leading Aircraftsman who saw active service in France, Belgium, Germany and Africa, said he was “overwhelmed” to be shown round some of the modern aircraft which will be taking part on VE Day 80 flypast on Monday. He said: “Some people have very good memories of VE Day but what I want people to remember it for is for peace between countries because war should never happen in the first place.
“It should not be happening even now, it makes me feel disgusted, we must learn to do better.” Dad-of-two Dennis, from Whitney, Oxfordshire, met his wife Lycette while stationed in Brussels, Belgium, during the war and he urged young people to learn languages to overcome barriers in the future.
He said: “When I met my wife we couldn’t understand a word each other said but we managed to make it work so why can’t others. There just needs to be more kindness in the world. We should celebrate VE Day because it was the end of the war and we should not forget that even though it was a long time ago now.
“I remember getting him from the war and kneeling down and kissing the ground and saying ‘I’m home’. The future generation must work together.” On Monday a VE Day 80 flypast of 23 modern and historic RAF aircraft will take place over London following a military parade through the Capital.
The flypast will include a Voyager transport aircraft, a P8 Poseidon surveillance aircraft, Typhoon and F-35 fighter jets and will culminate with the iconic red, white, and blue smoke of the Royal Air Force’s Red Arrows. Historic Second World War-era aircraft from the Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will also take part in the flypast.
Wing Commander Nicola Lofthouse, also known as Nikki Lofthouse, the Officer Commanding of 99 Squadron which operates C-17 Globemaster aircraft RAF will be taking part in the fly-past and spoke of her pride in doing so. She is the first female Officer Commanding of 99 Squadron.
Speaking beside one of the C-17 Globemaster’s she commands at RAF Brize Norton she said: “It is a huge honour for us to take part in the fly-past and for us it is incredibly important to remember the sacrifice of the military veterans that went before us. For example 99 Squadron served in World War Two with Wellington bombers so we will certainly honour our members of the past.”
Alongside Wing Commander Lofthouse’s Voyager the fly past will include P8 Poseidon maritime reconnaissance aircraft which have recently flown over the North Sea and North Atlantic to monitor Russian vessels near UK waters.
The UK’s fleet of Voyager aircraft has been extensively involved in our support to Ukraine, delivering tonnes of equipment to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and flying thousands of Ukrainian recruits to the UK for military training.
Typhoon fast jets are on standby 365 24/7 to protect UK airspace and frequently deploy overseas to help protect our allies from airborne threats as part of NATO Air Policing. Typhoons are currently deployed to Poland.
The F-35 Lightning is a fifth-generation fighter jet which deployed on board the Royal Navy’s aircraft carriers – HMS Prince of Wales set sail earlier this week on its eight-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific.
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