St Edmund's
VE DAY 80TH ANNIVERSARY
Today, St Edmund’s School marks the 80th anniversary of VE Day, a momentous occasion in British and European history.
Across the school, pupils and staff have taken time to reflect on the importance of 8 May 1945 – the day World War II ended in Europe. Thanks to the initiative of one of our Junior School teachers, VE Day stickers were shared throughout the Lower and Upper School, sparking meaningful conversations in classrooms and form groups.
Mr Lorentzen shared a personal family connection to the day – a photograph of his Nan celebrating in London, captured in a local paper and now resurfacing on Sky News 80 years later. It’s a joyful, human reminder of the spirit and relief felt across the country at the war’s end.
As we commemorate this anniversary, we also honour the sacrifices made by members of the St Edmund’s community during the Second World War. As recorded in Foundation on a Hill by Jock Asbury-Bailey, many Old Boys and staff served during the war. While their stories were not recorded in the same way as those who served in the First World War, their names appeared regularly in the school’s Chronicle during the conflict. Forty members of the school — 39 Old Boys and one member of staff, Ross Coates — were killed during the war and are remembered on a stone tablet in the school Chapel.
Among them was Robert Jephson-Jones (St Edmund’s 1914–22), who was awarded the George Cross for exceptional bravery in bomb disposal work in Malta in 1940. With no specialist bomb units on the island, Jephson-Jones and Lieutenant Eastman dealt with more than 275 unexploded bombs during sustained aerial attacks, acts of courage that saved countless lives.
Here is a photograph of Brigadier Jephson-Jones is included as part of this tribute — a powerful reminder of the bravery and resilience shown by members of our school community during one of history’s most challenging times.
At St Edmund’s, we believe it is vital that young people understand and remember the events that shaped our world.
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