VE Day
On May 8th 1945 Victory in Europe was declared and there were scenes of jubilation up and down the United Kingdom. The end of war was declared on 8th May over the radio by His Majesty the King.
As the news spread people went out onto the streets played music, danced and sang. Searchlights lit up the sky as blackout regulations had lifted.
There were street parties in most towns.
"We lived in Paddington then, Aucknall Road, off the Harrow Road, the boy I courting was over in Africa. I was a bit down in the dumps and lonely, how you can be lonely in a crowd I don’t know but you can. My mother, stepmother and father had gone off to some do with his army thing. I thought I’d take myself off to London. Well you see them all gawping waiting for Winnie and the Queen and the Princesses and the King to come out on the balcony. You must have seen all those. They were all screaming and hollering, but as lonely as can be. I’ve never felt so lonely in all my life, all those people and you’re lonely. Because you’d got nobody of your own to hang onto. I thought that was sad you know." Betsy
"All the available tables were brought out into the street and joined together and covered with sheets or something. There were all sorts of things to cover tables with and all the women would get together and although stuff was rationed it was amazing what these, where all the food came from. There must have been, oooh fifty or sixty young children and then us older kids there’d be, those that were still around, twenty or thirty." William
"Children I have wonderful news the war has finished!’ I can remember I said to my mate, ‘Here look Miss is crying. I think you’re supposed to cry, and all the girls are going whoooo! like that, because they were crying and we didn’t know. She said, ‘Right those children whose mothers are not at work may leave school, those mothers who are at work will remain at school until we finish at 4oclock!’ I bet you ninety-seven percent of kids made out their Mum was at home because we all went home!" Diane
"Well it was jubilation really I mean it was all over wasn’t it, we were being de-mobbed and it was a lovely feeling, it was all over. People were hugging and kissing complete strangers, dancing around in circles but they weren’t yours. It was, I don’t know, I can’t explain it but it was a wonderful feeling, all those people and they were all climbing up lamp posts and trying to get a better view of everything." Betsy