Meine liebshen Byron,

That’s what I might well have written if tomorrow, 8th May, did not commemorate Victory in Europe day. VE Day.

…………………The letter is no longer archived here. The entire content of Letters to Byron is a book, available in Paperback or Kindle.

………………..Both sides of your bloodline had a big fight that ended on this day in 1945, when Hitler finally accepted his defeat. By first marrying Eva Braun, in a Catholic ceremony in the bunker in Berlin where he was hiding out as the Russians, the Red Army, closed in on Berlin. The Hitler’s marriage didn’t last long. The next day Eva Hitler chewed down on a cyanide capsule as Hitler fired a 9mm Luger round into his right temple. (With his 9mm Luger.) Hitler was a cautious man, so before he had his new wife chew down on the cyanide capsule, he checked it thoroughly. He had already decided to end his own life in late April of 45, as the Red Army massed at the Gates of Berlin. He had Himmler, the head of his Gestapo, and one of the most awful Nazis imaginable, prepare a batch of cyanide tablets for this purpose. But he didn’t trust Himmler, because he associated Germany’s imminent defeat with the failure of his Generals to carry out his orders, and so he decided to test out the efficacy of these cyanide tablets. His beautiful, loyal dog, Cindi. a 4 year old German shepherd bitch, who he loved so much, she would sleep in his bed with him, was his trial subject.

On 29 April, 1945, Blondi was fed one of the cyanide capsules supplied by Himmler. It worked and the following day Eva Hitler took hers, along with the other inner circle Nazis who elected to die alongside ‘Der Fuhrer.’ Including 5ft 5inch Joseph Goebbels, the propaganda minister, and his super Christian Nazi wife Magda, who so loved Hitler that all her 6 children’s names began with H in honor of her Nazi idol.

Magda used 6 of the same batch of cyanide pills on her 6 children, the night before her own date with cyanide. They were injected with morphine, to make them sleep, and then Magda placed a cyanide capsule in each child’s mouth, in turn, crushing it, causing them all to die. Not the worlds best Mother, I think you will agree. Even though she believed with all her heart that she was acting in her children’s best interests.

By the 30th of April 1945, all the Himmler supplied cyanide had served its purpose and news of Germany’s freedom from the tyranny of Nazism spread like wildfire. Germany’s surrender followed soon after and on the 8th of may, 1945, 75 years ago, the world celebrated the end of a dreadful man. One not as flawed as the current leader of racist-fascist right wingers, Trump, after all, Hitler had many great qualities, dog lover being not the least of those Trump lacks, but still, an awful person with deeply flawed values. Who committed mass murder on a grand scale.

I am sure you will get to read much about Hitler and how he came to murder millions of defenseless people and millions of his own German people through the deceit of Nationalism and fascist right-wing White (Aryan) supremacy. And the compliance of the mentally fragile, unable to apply critical thought above the seduction of smart words by gifted liars, specifically in this case, Joseph Goebbels, who taught “A lie told often enough becomes the truth.”

It is a fascinating reminder that ‘Those who forget the mistakes of History are condemned to repeat them.” And also that our very own legal system, turgid British-family-law has failed to apply the lessons that period in history has for those who abuse both the use of ‘Mental fragility’ as a punitive deceit as well as allowing the process of law, the judiciary, to become a vehicle for personal profit by dishonest and unaccountable members. The best example I can share with you in learning this historical example is in the judgement of Michele O”Leary, in 2015, in the case of Adler Vs Broulidakis, brought by Tom Amlot and Charlotte Adler.

Both sides of your bloodline fought to bring down the right wing catholic fascist and his nationalist flag waving voters.

Your English half were never invaded, thanks largely to great heroism by the RAF and the support of the ‘Greatest Generation’ who learned to fight and kill to go and stop the Nazis and their allies. But your Greek side had a hard time. The Germans invaded Greece and your family there had some awful persecution, even after the war ended. Your yaya grew up during that period. She was 10 when the war ended on 8 May, 1945. The age you are now. She had a very hard upbringing under the yoke of the Nazi oppression.

The German policy was to starve the vanquished, taking all food and valuables. And many Greeks died very horribly because of this policy.

Your Grandfather though was not in Greece. He joined the British army, and fought the German Army from the outset of war in 1939, until VE day. When Hitler finally popped a cap in his own ass. On 30th April, 1945. It took little more than a week for that news to bring about the VE day party.

If your grandfather and his generation had not learned how to fight and kill as well as the Germans, and eventually, even better, who knows what the world would have become. remember, he did not have to fight. He chose to fight. He volunteered. because – he was strong and fit. And he felt it was his duty to protect the weak against this bully and his gang of thugs. The National Socialist German Workers’ Party. Abbreviated as Nazis. The far right Christian organization who followed their gifted leader, who recruited the BEST people to build the greatest army the world had ever seen, engineering the best weapons the world had ever seen and using this tremendous Force to destroy anyone who stood up to them. Manos, your grandfather, and his kind, were not paid the way soldiers are today. He fought for a much higher principle than pay or nationalism, or even coercion by propagandists. he fought to defend the weak against the bully, because he was strong, physically and ethically. The reason why we won the war, 75 years ago, and also the reason why we look back on him and his generation as the Greatest generation. They rose to the occasion. Placing honor above fear. And ethical certainty above convenient delusion. That is half of your bloodline. You are born of good warrior genes.

Tomorrow, VE day is about remembering those who fought and especially those who died in the ‘Great War’. And for me, also the opportunity to reflect in gratitude for their sacrifice, that we are free today to speak freely. In the language of our choice. And with the words of our choosing.

A freedom to call out the malevolent liars in our midst – even those who depend on some ‘family-law’ edict to protect their larcenous deceit from being exposed.

I know your grandad would have been extremely angry to see how the sacrifice he put in, the best part of his 20’s, in fighting to vanquish nationalist fascism, has brought us to a place where the ideals of the enemy he fought and vanquished are revived and represented in the Governments of the USA and the UK. As well as in British family-court – used to harm his own bloodline.

I too am extremely disappointed at how poorly their bravery has been remembered by today’s fascist right wing generation. And especially their number in Government who have failed to create a judiciary with checks and boundaries representing freedoms so hard won by your own family.

This VE day spare a thought for Eva Braun. The Melania of her day. Who enjoyed just one day of marriage before the bitter end that awaits all fascist-racists befell her. And that day was in a bunker. Deep under Berlin. She only ever wrote her new name once. Eva Hitler. On ther marriage certificate.

Oh well. I can only imagine how my dad, your grandad, must have celebrated on the 8th of May, 1945. After 6 long years. He never drank in the time I knew him, and he died when I was ten, but I imagine on this day 75 years ago, he would have enjoyed at least one shot of something alcoholic.

I am always grateful that people like him stepped up. And confronted fascist bullies. And eventually prevailed.

I hope you have a happy VE day.

Miss you.
Love you,
Daddy

_____________________________________

LETTERS TO BYRON in chronological order:

The first of the LETTERS TO BYRON:  The PILOT
2nd GRAHAM COY
3rd:  TOM AMLOT
4th:  Thanksgiving day
5th: MICHELLE O’LEARY. The switch Judge
6th : Raining in California
7th: Music
8th: December Rain
9th: Brexit and Greek war
10th: Winnie the Poo
11th: December kayaking
12th: Family law and Mark Zetin
13th: Xmas day 2018
14th: Maria and Anna
15th: New years eve 2018
16th: Your first smile
17th: Your Uncle GEORGE
18th: The Mighty PACIFIC
19th: WEBSTER and Summer HOLIDAY 2019
20th: Breach of Privacy offense
21st: MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY
22nd: Philotimia
23rd: A short note
24th: MUSIC and KINDNESS
25th: Robin Hood
26th: SRA ethical code
27th: NINE YEARS LATER
28th: Valentines day
29th: EVZONES
30th: Rushing
31st: Quick Note
32nd: Johannesburg 2019
33rd: Still in Johannesburg
34th: More Johannesburg
35th: Last Johannesburg for now
36th: Traveling. Upgrade
37th: Spring
38th: Whales
39th: MEXICO
40th: CABO ST LUCAS
41st: 1 April. Wallace’s Birthday
42nd: SANTA BARBARA
43rd: Short letter
44th: PINEAPPLE EXPRESS
45th: KIRA visits
46th: Goodbye uncle Lazaros
47th: Easter Monday
48th: OJAI Tennis
49th: Short letter
50th: PARENTAL ALIENATION FACTS
51st: Cartagena memory
52nd: NEW RECORD
53rd: Last letter to 9 yo
54th: First letter to 10 yo
55th: D Day – 75 years
56th: LA QUINTA
57th: MASON GRADUATES
58th: DESIDERATA
59th: EARTHQUAKE
60th:  Chris and Golf
61st: Chris visits Byron in London
62nd: SUMMERTIME
63rd: PHYLLIS’ LETTER TO BYRON
64th: GUN CRAZY AMERICANS
65th: MISS YOU
66th: SCRUFFY
67th: Mason leaves for college
68th: ART
69th: Day after 911
70th: PAPOU. CALLING CHRIS
71st: Two Women
72nd: ANOTHER YEAR
73rd: PLANNING CALIFORNIA VISIT 2019
74th: KAYAKING WITH DOLPHINS
75th: M and M
76th: HALLOWEEN 2019
77th FINGER EXERCISE
78th: First late letter
89th: MIAMI
90th: Thanksgiving and the SRA
91st: Dentist
92nd: EDUCATION
93rd: Almost Xmas
94th: Boxing day 2019
95th: 2nd January 2020
96th: 9 January 2020. Liars and Thieves
97th: 16 January. Thursday
98th: 23 Jan. Mystery Thursday visit99th: 30 Jan. Months end
100th: 6 February. 2020. Summer Holiday101st: 13 February. 2020. Family Law
102nd: 20 February. Dogs
103rd: 27 February. The elderly in the desert
104th: 5 March. James Munbys’ talk on family law. And unilateral judgments
105th:  26 March covid19-what-else
106th: 2nd April. British Family law
107th. 9th April. Good news about Covid
108th: 15 April. 2020. Covid Tzar. A good pair of hands
109th:  23 April: Distance Learning
110th: 30 April. A video Letter. Byron Sundays
111th:  7 May. VE Day
112th:  14th May. History Lesson
113th:  21 May. A family birthday
114th: 28th May. Happy Birthday
155th: 4th June. Riots
156th: 11th June. Guessing
157th: 18th June. More Covid
158th:  25th June. Business open from Lockdown
159th: 2nd July. Writing and Cleaning
160th: 9th July. Six years after Scotland
161st: 23 July. Masked Lockdown
162nd: 30 July. Maybe next year?

BYRON SUNDAYS YouTube Channel