Why this VE Day story may be the happiest of all

On the day that the Second World War ended in Europe, love blossomed for wounded veteran Derek Mackie and his future wife Lily

Many families will have stories to tell about VE Day, the moment when Britain celebrated the end of six long years of war in Europe. But surely one of the happiest involves the grandfather and grandmother of Scotsman journalist Rachel Mackie.

Her grandfather Derek Mackie fought in North Africa, Italy, France and Belgium. After being wounded near Ghent, he was transferred to a hospital in Wales, where doctors managed to save his right arm from amputation, and then to another in London.

Rachel Mackie's grandpa, Derek Mackie, volunteered for Army service in the Royal Armoured Corps in October, 1941 | NW

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On May 8, 1945, he was determined to join the celebrations and found himself at a party in St Pancras Town Hall, where he met “a beautiful, tall and mysterious brunette, Lily – my grandmother,” Rachel writes. On the day that the war in Europe ended, love blossomed. They were married three years later.

But for all the happy endings, we should also remember those who did not survive the war. It was a time when ordinary people did extraordinary things to defeat the forces of an evil, mass-murdering tyrant. We can only hope we are never called to do the same.

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