VE Day & Youth Exchange

Today, as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE Day, we can also celebrate our youth exchange with the German sports club in Daun. When the exchange began in 1963, the war was still fresh in many people's minds. Jane Honeyball wrote, "I was so proud of my Mum and Dad (Ken and Dean Dimmock) leading the Youth Club and taking us out to Germany. My Dad was tremendously affected by our link with a German Youth Group (T.u.S. Daun).

Less than 20 years previously he had been fighting the Germans in the Second World War. Many tears were shed with the hosts that they stayed with. They became really good friends with so many of them."

So today we can give thanks for all those who gave their lives in that great conflict and give thanks for all the English-German friendships the exchange has produced during these 75 years of peace.

To read more reflections on the exchange from the 2013 booklet about our 50th anniversary, click here.