VE DAY. Do you remember?

My son’s mother-in-law is very a Royalist and a Patriot. Any important dates are always marked with a celebration. She’s having the neighbours over on VE Day. Though I’m not a neighbour she has kindly invited me.

I was born on 1951, so I can't claim to remember V.E. day, nor do I remember the day actually being celebrated in Scotland in my childhood, except by the local Army Veterans of both World Wars marching through the town.

What has always been a part of my life is the celebrations for the liberation of Denmark. Every year the Danish state radio broadcast their original record of the BBC's annoncement of Montgomery's victory at Luneberger Heide on May 4th 1945 and the candles placed in window-sills - a custom that sprang into being, as soon as people, who like my mother's generation had experienced it placed at their windows after tearing down the hated black-out curtains.

The 5th of May is a public holiday in Denmark, and the night between the 4th and 5th of May is the only day of the year that you are allowed to leave your flag out overnight, as those who had a flag-pole and a lot of private householders did and do have one in Denmark, raised the Danish flag after they heard the news of the total capitulation of the Nazi forces and so great was the rejoicing that peopl forgot to pull down their flags at sundown.

I agree, a lot of young people have not observed these days, but since the war in Ukraine started many of our children and grandchildren's generation here have started doing so.

If VE celebrations only look to the past, then they may not mean much to the young, if they are seen as an opportunity to declare how important democracy and peace are - then they may well be meaningful.

I'm too young to remember VE day. I asked my Mum what we did on VE day. She said that we didn't celebrate VE day as my Dad was in the navy in the far east, so we only celebrated VJ day.

He was so traumatised by knowing and repatriating the soldiers who had been prisoners of the Japanese he would never have anything Japanese in the house for the rest of his life.

My grandson's partner took copies of all his war record, letters and photos to make a display in her school for the future generation to remember.

I wasn’t born til 1958, but my mother, born in 1934 used to often speak of it.

Isn't this being regarded as the last opportunity to have a celebration as unlikely there will be anyone left who will remember in a few years time especially service personnel.

I was just too young, I do remember wearing.my red Siren suit though

I am just coming uo to my 90th birthday and remember we had a huge street party, with flags and bunting everywhere. The food was much more plain than one would see today, but we did have paste sandwiches, some cakes and jellies. I remember everyone was so happy and laughing.

Like many other contributors I was around for VE day. Although I can't remember it I do have a photo of the party that day. The long table down the centre of the road loaded with FOOD, which had always been in short supply. I am sitting with all the other children from our road, and my mother is standing at the end of the tables holding my 6 month old baby sister. Next to her are her mother whose house we lived in during the war and a great uncle who had also moved in with us. My father was still in Germany.

I must point out that my father had come home on leave 9 months before my sister was born, and went straight back to the front.

Hello there

Interesting post ... I wasn't born until 1965 to older parents 40 Mum ,Dad 48 who was a far East POW .Victory in Japan wasn't until September 1945 .My Dad died in 1976 when I was 11..I am "lucky "to have quite a few original documents as well as his Service records that I applied for through Gov.Uk
My Father was an alcoholic and an emotionally distant man,an uninterested Husband who My much older Sister hated !

Of course I will never understand fully what He went however My research with both ancestry and a Facebook group has been invaluable .😢

I don't remember it myself. I have seen photographs of my grandparents and great grandparents celebrating at a huge street party.

I feel it's important for all generations to remember what people went through to allow us to keep our freedom. It doesn't need to be an extravaganza, a few items in the news and in online news feeds, perhaps posters or digital posters at tube/railway stations. Maybe schools could do assemblies on it?

I remember it quite well. I was at my grandmothers when the bells started to ring out. Everyone went out into the road looking at each other, the women were dabbing their eyes, can’t remember any men there. We seemed to hang around for a long time and I remember the word victory being repeated over and over but it didn’t make any sense to me as it didn’t know what it meant. I was born in 1941.

I was only 14 months old and my Mother said I couldn’t possibly remember it but I do. I remember the long tables in the street outside our house and my cousin who lived opposite had a white dress with red white and blue buttons. And I can see a jelly shimmering on the table but can’t see what colour it is. My cousin found a photo of a lot of children including her sitting on chairs with adults in the background and my Mum holding me in the doorway of our house, all laughing at something. So we think there must have been some entertainment.
My Dad came back from the navy in 1946 and I remember being bought from my bed one night to see this strange man in our sitting room. I wanted nothing to do with him even though he had bought a dolls pram with him! All those poor men returning to children who didn’t know them.

my parents got married around that date and my brother always used to say that it was peace in Europe but war in our family . my parents stayed together but it was far from a happy marriage.

My mum was 15 when the war ended and her mum was a very capable woman . They lived in a cul de sac and gran got together with all the neighbours from the street and the surrounding houses .
They clubbed together the food coupons and borrowed tables and benches and had a street party as a celebration . Grandad got home from work to find their piano in the street and everyone singing and dancing 🕺

I was not born but I know how our soldiers gave their lives for us. We need know about the sacrifices that were made so we had freedom

Daisydaisydaisy

Hello there

Interesting post ... I wasn't born until 1965 to older parents 40 Mum ,Dad 48 who was a far East POW .Victory in Japan wasn't until September 1945 .My Dad died in 1976 when I was 11..I am "lucky "to have quite a few original documents as well as his Service records that I applied for through Gov.Uk
My Father was an alcoholic and an emotionally distant man,an uninterested Husband who My much older Sister hated !

Of course I will never understand fully what He went however My research with both ancestry and a Facebook group has been invaluable .😢

Daisydaisydaisy

Of course I will never understand fully what He went however
Your poor father probably went through hell and the consequences, as you have posted, were far-reaching, affecting him after the war and his family too.

I do remember a man whom my friend's parents knew who had been a Japanese POW. He had apparently survived by eating banana skins but was a broken man.

I wasn't born then, but in 1995 we had a 50th Anniversary party at the City Hall in Truro. I was working on the bar and the whole thing was amazing. The Hall itself really hadn't changed since 1945 and everyone who came was dressed up, with quite a few in uniform. With the 40s music playing it really felt as if we had gone back in time, quite an incredible feeling. My favourite costume was a young boy who had come as a Spiv. He had the hat and the hairstyle, and when he opened his trench coat it was lined with nylons, cigarettes and knicker elastic! Brilliant!

I was born 10 years after war, but dad served in India and Burma,my uncle was one of first troops into Germany and my mum lost her home in the Clyde blitz so yes grew up with it and I'm a very proud daughter.

henetha

I remember VE day. I was eight years old. We had huge trestle tables set up in a nearby small park and everyone provided food, there was more than enough for us all. I remember being allowed to take some home.
A couple of days later there was a photo of our park party in the local newspaper. I kept a copy of it for many years, but somehow lost it eventually. I wish I could find it again.

If you contact the office of the newspaper that the photo was in, they may be able to help. I have done that before and it worked!

I was five, and am surprised I don’t remember, because I remember earlier events during the war. I have no memory of it at all.

Well, I don’t think it is going to be meaningless to those born after the event. (Possibly to some, perhaps, but not to most).
That’s rather like saying Remembrance Day is meaningless because those who fought in the 1914-18 war are long gone, but of course, it isn’t.
Those of us born long after these events can still appreciate the importance of remembering them and what they mean. It’s essential that we do in my view.

I have a beautiful and cherished picture of my great grandparents celebrating this day. I wasn’t born but you can see the joy on their faces.

Born in Poland. No such celebrations there. End of the war meant that the country was unceremoniously and without scruples handed over on a plate to that murderous dictator from the east. Having fought valiantly the invaders from the west for 5 long years in own country and yours and suffered cruel murders, tortures and often total destruction Poland was abandoned. My mother, on her extended visits to Britain, often watched the televised celebrations past and current, tears streaming down her face. As the country was “liberated” another enslavement awaited. Only this time it was fully sanctioned. Let this reminder be a stark reminder and a warning in the times of further “problems” in that part of Europe.

You paint a beautifully nostalgic picture of the VE celebrations. I was born in February 1951, so I missed those happy times.

I do remember having a dress for the new Queen's visit to Cardiff. It had the same smocking as you describe.