1 June 2014

Sometimes in life you say or do something that's completely out of character. So it was last week when, in a fit of anger, I shouted to our neighbour - in my best French - that 70 years ago it was a good job Churchill was a better friend to De Gaulle than they were to us. And yet, on reflection, I'm not sorry. I'd been thinking of this Friday, the 6th, which marks the darkest day in French history.  It was a time to forget old rivalries and come to the aid of a 'neighbour' who was suffering and alone.  So it's fitting that Friday will see many Heads of State, royalty and dignitaries coming together at Sword Beach, Ouistreham to remember how it was back then. Don't forget there were many, like Chamberlain, who believed that appeasement was the answer to Germany's very different mindset.  But sometimes you have to stand your ground when you know you're right. There are times when you must fight (against a tyrant like Hitler who had to be stopped) and other times when, in answer to life's annoying, trivial irritations, you should turn a blind eye and offer the hand of friendship.  So, as Vera Lynn sings We'll meet Again, I and my family know that, but for Churchill, we wouldn't even be living today. Thank you, Mr. Churchill, for making the right decision 70 years ago. We must all do the same when standing on the other side of the fence.