Viborg Stifts Folkeblad
Saturday 7 May 2022:

AROUND VIBORG

Moving speech in May:
It is incredibly hard to see
the country where I grew up
lie in ruins

06 May 2022 14:27 by Jens Peder Østergaard jepo@viborgfolkeblad.dk

See original version in Danish
with photos:

Captions:
On 4 May two Ukrainians laid a wreath at the memorial stone to the Allied airmen who crashed near Grønhøj in September 1942. Photo: Knud Gaarn-Larsen.

The Canadian Sue Pitche, who lives in Grønhøj, placed a small Canadian flag at the memorial stone. Some of the seven crashed airmen came from Canada. Photo: Knud Gaarn-Larsen.

On  4 May about 30 people met at the inn the Grønhøj Kro to commemorate the liberation in 1945 from the German occupation. Photo: Knud Gaarn-Larsen.

This year the memorial ceremony on 4 May
included a speech by an Ukrainian from our area who praised the Danish helpfulness.

Grønhøj: As usual the liberation from the German occupation 1940-1945 was commemorated on
4 May at the Grønhøj Kro – but this year with the special present perspective that people fight and sacrifice their lives for the freedom of others, right now in Ukraine.

Among the approx. 30 participants in the
ceremony a good handful came from Ukraine,
and one of them, Oksana Lobas from our area, made a short speech:

“It is incredibly hard to see the country where I grew up lie in ruins with people who struggle for their lives every day”, was one of her points.

Oksana Lobas also praised “all of the Danes who help with various forms of emergency aid to the affected areas in Ukraine.”

Also this time the history of Denmark was remembered – not only with candles in the windows of the Grønhøj Kro, but as it has become a tradition also with a wreath-laying ceremony in memory of the seven Allied airmen who crashed with
their Lancaster and perished at Grønhøj in 1942 – this year 80 years ago.

Anders Straarup, Randers, is very interested in history, and on his initiative a memorial stone was erected at the inn a number of years ago with the names of the seven airmen. Anders Straarup was also present this year and made a speech in which he stated that it is still important to remember the Allies who 80 years ago gave their lives for freedom and democracy.

Earlier some relatives of a crew member from Scotland have been to Grønhøj. This year the crew  was represented, so to speak, by Sue Pitche, a Canadian living in Grønhøj, who placed a small Canadian flag at the memorial stone.

After the outdoor memorial ceremony which included the song A Lark ascended, there was a common coffee table in the Grønhøj Kro.