Remember, but remember accurately

They will not see this, but our Norwegian cousins are to be deeply and roundly thanked, most profusely. Taking the time and trouble, through bit of a NW gale during voyage, to come over in such small and old boats to commemorate the mutual endeavours that helped finally defeat the horrors of fascist Europe and the Hitlerite regime in particular. Our mutual enduring freedoms, in both our countries, came at great sacrifice by our parents, grandparent and great grand-parents.

‘We are so grateful to the people of Shetland’ – skippers praise warm welcome from all

Lest we forget, in our dangerous present  times, Hitler had many fascist European allies – Austria, Hungary , Italy and Spain. Included in this gang of terror was Russia’s Stalin. A fascist disguising himself under a communist flag. His initial treaty with Hitler, gave Hitler breathing space to blitzkrieg and conquer the rest of all to slowly emerging social democratic Europe.

There were fascists in all European countries, including our own. Oswald Moseley’s Blackshirts, created by this Trump-like narcissist to exploit the horrors created by capitalism and capitalists fighting over power and global resources through the First World War and using the subsequent global depression of the 1920s/30s.

So to our current days. We have the freedom to celebrate that freedom, to happily join in song, dance and procession and very importantly contemplate in solemn memory and prayer those lost, too soon, too young in the horrors of war. We shall indeed remember them and continue to do so – the suffering too of non-combatants – parents, grand-parents and great grand-parents and friends too.

I am reminded at this time of a recently made friendship with Norwegian Bjarnhild Tulloch, who recently moved from Bressay to our Lerwick neighbourhood. She took the time late last year to educate me about her incredible childhood and her book Terror in the Artic which should be required reading in Shetland’s schools alongside the works of our own John J Graham, J.W. Irvine – both brilliant headmasters.

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Interesting that the BBC are putting Churchill’s great grand-son front and centre in current commemorations. Whilst a fascinating war-time leader, it was the peoples of many lands, not Churchill, who won the war, with  our American cousins. Anyone reading an independent account of Mr Churchill will see his earlier very repressive, violent, bloody side, outwith WWII.

With thanks then to our Nordic friends and to Bjarnhild for helping me with the following –

‘Tusen takk til våre norske søstre og brødre for deres fantastiske flotilje som hjelper oss med å minnes tidligere generasjoners felles offer for å sikre den friheten vi nyter godt av i dag. Vi tar lett på dem på egen risiko!’

James Paton
Lerwick