Friday 8th May this year will mark 75 years since the end of the war in Europe.  Although celebrations this year will be different it is still a time to remember those who sacrificed so much during the war and those who sadly lost their lives.

To commemorate this significant historical milestone Littlehampton Town Council ran a poetry competition asking residents or those with a close connection to the town to write a poem with the theme of VE Day. Cllr Billy Blanchard-Cooper Chair of the Community Resources said “The standard of entries to this competition to mark VE Day was extremely high and I would like to say thank you and well done to all those who participated. It is important to look back, remember and pay tribute to all those who lost their lives during conflicts.” Many entries had a very emotional touch to them, judge Daphne Belt said “It was a to joy read the poems, everyone a delight and it was great exercise for my tear ducts.”

Daphne wasn’t alone on the judging panel as she was joined by fellow fantastic local writers and poetry enthusiasts; Margaret Inglis and Sarah Higbee. They had the difficult decision of picking a winner. Judge Sarah Higbee said “there was an interesting range of responses to the theme of V.E. Day, ranging from the feelings of a returning soldier, to the here and now, dealing with our current emergency.’. The judges felt the competition helped to reflect on the times of the war as Margaret Inglis said “I was very moved by all of the entries, expressing both the joy and the sadness of this special day.  It's good for us to be able to reflect on this event of such historical significance and to keep precious memories of the past alive.’

The winner of the competition is Littlehampton resident David Jordan with his poem ‘VE Day, Tommy, My family and Me’. David Jordan who has only recently started writing poetry said “This is the first piece I have entered, it was a brilliant result and it has encouraged me to write more. It always struck me that we celebrated VE Day but it was really only the end of one part of the war, the far Middle East was still going on and for those who fought the war it mentally was never over.” You can watch David Jordan reading his winning poem on the Littlehampton Town Council Facebook page from 4pm. Runners up of the competition are Pauline Latter with ‘V.E. Day Celebrations’ and with ‘War Won, Country Lost’.

Here you can read the poems: