Honouring Canada’s Ukrainian Veterans on Victory in Europe Day

For immediate release (Calgary, May 1, 2025)

A memorial stained-glass window that commemorates the sacrifices of Ukrainian Canadians in the Second World War will be officially unveiled in London, England, on May 8, said the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Foundation (UCCLF).

Due to the lockdowns as a result of the coronavirus pandemic in England and around the world, the UCCLF and its partners postponed the official unveiling of the memorial, originally scheduled for the same day in May five years ago on the 75th anniversary of V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day). https://www.ucclf.ca/post/honouring-canada-s-ukrainian-veterans-on-v-e-day

The revised unveiling day is May 8, 2025 – the 80th anniversary of V-E Day.

Over the past several years, the UCCLF team has worked hard to ensure that the service and sacrifices of thousands of Ukrainian Canadians who served overseas during the Second World War, as well as the Ukrainians who did likewise in the armed forces of the other Allied powers, would be recalled on this historic date. 

Commenting, UCCLF’s chairman, Borys Sydoruk, said:

“Our Foundation is pleased that the memorial stained-glass window will be unveiled on the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. We appreciate the efforts of our partner organizations in making this possible. This memorial stands as a permanent reminder of the contributions of the thousands of Ukrainian Canadians who served Canada during the Second World War, demonstrating their loyalty to their country and its values.

“Some veterans remained in Europe for several years following the war, helping to save Ukrainian Displaced Persons (DPs) from forcible repatriation to the Soviet Union. Many of those victims of Nazi and Communist tyranny eventually resettled across the free world, helping to strengthen the Ukrainian diaspora of which we are a part, whether in England, the United States, Australia, western Europe, or here in Canada. So, on May 8, the 80th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe, V-E Day, we call upon our friends and supporters across Canada, and indeed around the world, to remember the Ukrainian Canadians who were the 'heroes of their day'."

For more information about the May 8th unveiling at the Heroes of their Day project, please visit: https://www.ucclf.ca/heroes-of-their-day

Heroes of Their Day Stained-Glass Window. St. James's Parish, London, England