Communications Officer
Throughout the events taking place this week to mark eighty years since Victory in Europe, we will be sharing thoughts from FANYs taking part and sharing their reflections on why they joined the Corps, and why it was important to them to take part in this week’s events.
Today we are sharing Clare Crookenden’s thoughts, who is supporting today’s VE 80 Concert. Clare joined the FANY in 2019 and has held several roles during that time – Deputy Head, Delta, and Ski Captain.
As a finale to the nationwide VE Day 80 celebrations, this evening we will be attending a concert at Horse Guards Parade to mark the anniversary. In addition to some well-known faces of stage and screen there will be performances from military bands, readings and poignant moments that will tell the story of VE Day and the nation's reaction to the end of the War. Among the audience will be veterans, and we will be providing support and assistance to several of them during the evening.
The location of this evening’s concert is particularly poignant as my grandfather was based at Horse Guards for a period, and his office overlooked the parade square where the concert is being held. This evening will not only provide the opportunity to remember him and reflect on his service both during and after the War, but also of all those who served, including the 6,000 FANY who are front and centre of our thoughts this week. I’m looking forward to meeting the veterans hearing their stories.
I hadn’t heard of the FANY until a good friend joined the Corps the year before I did, and they insisted that I should apply, so I duly did, and I haven’t looked back since. The membership is diverse, comprising of a terrific group of women from all walks of life and different professions; but we all come together to volunteer our time with the same sense of unwavering commitment and motivation to provide support to London, both in routine and emergency deployments.
The opportunities on offer are as diverse as the membership. Since joining the Corps I have supported both civil organisations as well as the military. These have ranged from the annual Remembrance events held in November including the London Poppy Day Appeal and the Lord Mayor’s Show, through to deploying in response to the Fishmonger’s Hall attack and supporting Operation London Bridge. There have also been the more unusual support opportunities such as the unveiling of a GWR train named after Odette Hallowes, being a student on a firearm course at the Kent Police College and supporting the military on a training exercise in the middle of the English Channel, as well as representing the Corps on the ski slopes. With privilege comes great responsibility, something that is not lost on any of us.