VE Day: UK ambassador to UAE reveals personal link to end of Second World War

The UK's ambassador to the UAE has reflected on his personal ties to the end of the Second World War.

Edward Hobart’s great-grandfather was commander-in-chief of the Allied Naval Expeditionary Forces, and signed the naval surrender documents with defeated Germany.

Admiral Harold Burrough served throughout the conflict. He was a leading player in Operation Pedestal, a perilous British mission to resupply the base of Malta, and was in command of Allied naval forces during Operation Torch in late 1942, the opening of a second front against the Axis powers in North Africa.

Speaking to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day on Thursday, Mr Hobart reflected on the sacrifice and legacy of his great-grandfather through personal recollections, letters and family memories.

Part of history

“He was a nice, old grandfatherly type of man,” said Mr Hobart, who was a small boy when his great-grandfather died. “Then, as I got older, I knew from people in the village that he used to tell various stories.”

Victory in Europe Day marks the end of the war with Nazi Germany in Europe on May 8, 1945. War in the Pacific would continue until September.

Adm Burrough witnessed the German surrender at Rheims in northern France on May 7 and at a subsequent ceremony with the Russians in the ruins of Berlin. Photographs show him with Gen Walter Bedell-Smith, chief-of-staff of US General Dwight D Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, at the ceremony.

One of the most poignant and memorable letters is one he wrote to his wife, Nell, after the German surrender. In it, he describes how hard it was to sleep after such a momentous occasion and also describes the horror of driving through the German capital in ruins.

“ … I have never seen in my life such complete and utter destruction,” he wrote. “Among other things, I saw Hitler’s headquarters where presumably he met his end. The only thing I have seen in any way resembling Berlin in its present state is Pompeii.”

The letter also details snapshots of regular life such as having to wait around for lengthy periods for the surrender, playing golf with the French and being impressed by the caviar laid on by the Russians. “Actually, I played quite a good game (of golf), chiefly I think because I was so tired that I was not capable of lifting my head,” he wrote.

“As a man of action as he was, he's basically also quite bored by having to hang around all the time waiting for the things to line up so that people can do the signatures,” said Mr Hobart, laughing.

And Mr Hobart said while he recognised the German surrender as a momentous occasion “it was also completely his job and his duty”.

A natural leader

Adm Burrough, born in 1888, joined the Royal Navy at 13 and spent his career at sea. Mr Hobart said historians have referred to him as the “last sea-fighting admiral in the Royal Navy” and the family recall him telling stories about the death-defying operations he was involved in. During the Malta missions, for example, his ship was sunk.

“I remember the story about him smoking a cigar on the bridge and being the last man off his ship,” he said. “I think he was that kind of leader of men.”

Mr Hobart said he had respect for people from whichever side he came from. He had close relationships with the Russians because of the North Atlantic convoys taking provisions into what was then the Soviet Union but also respect for those on the losing side.

“He comments in the letters on how broken the German admiral looked but those comments aren't made with pride or with judgment. They are comments on 'Here's a guy who's been through hell'.”

As a junior officer in the First World War, Adm Burrough participated in the Battle of Jutland in 1916, when a good friend was washed overboard and lost at sea. Experiences like this shaped him.

“He got several months off for nerves. The navy clearly recognised that he had post-traumatic stress disorder,” Mr Hobart said. “He couldn’t take it any more. There is a consciousness of psychological and mental vulnerability which sometimes we think people didn’t have then.

“He was throughout much of the Second World War at sea with his fleet, which was quite unusual for somebody of his seniority.”

Looking ahead

Eighty years on, the war is being lost to living memory. The band of veterans dwindle while resurgent nationalism and renewed conflicts have flared across the world from Russia and Ukraine to Gaza. Overnight the spectre of widening conflict between India and Pakistan loomed. Mr Hobart said it was important to recognise the sacrifices made by those who fought for freedom but not necessarily “revel in them”.

“Our job as diplomats is to try to avoid us getting ever to those situations but clearly currently whether it's in Gaza, whether it's in Sudan, whether it's in Ukraine, we have conflict which is killing civilians and soldiers on a daily basis,” he said.

After the war, Admiral Burrough continued for a time in Germany before retiring in 1949. He enjoyed sport, went to his club, gave history lectures and told stories about his past.

On a personal level, Mr Hobart said it felt “extraordinary” to have a great-grandfather who played such a key role in the war but his sense was he would have said, “Well, that was just my job.”

“I don't think he promoted himself as a great man,” he said. “He was focused on action.”