Celebrations set to start to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day

by Mick the Ram

Thursday 8 May will mark 80 years since the Second World War in Europe came to an end after the Allies accepted the surrender of Nazi Germany, in what became known as Victory in Europe (VE) Day.

To mark the historic 1945 moment, many events have been planned all around the UK, including: street parties, concerts, a military flypast, the lighting of beacons, and the installation of tens of thousands of ceramic poppies.

Celebrations have been organised by the government and citizens are being encouraged to gather together to acknowledge the understandable euphoric feeling that must have been present 80 years ago, after six years of war life. 

There will even be a recognition towards the part that pigeons played in the war effort with a special flight being organised.

Churchill’s famous speech opens the celebrations

The fun will begin on Monday 5 May beginning outside Parliament Square in central London at midday. Here, an actor will recite extracts from the iconic Winston Churchill VE Day speech and a young person will pass the Commonwealth War Graves Torch for Peace to a 100-year-old Second World War veteran who served in the Normandy campaign.

The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and The King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery will then lead the procession from Parliament Square, down Whitehall, passing the Cenotaph, which will be draped in Union Jack flags, continue up to Trafalgar Square, under Admiralty Arch and down the Mall towards the Queen Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace.

They will be followed by a procession group featuring marching members of the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, the British Army and the Royal Air Force. 

Military procession and flypast

King Charles III and Queen Camilla, along with other members of the royal family and the prime minister, will join Second World War veterans to watch the military procession.

This will be followed by everyone being invited to gather to observe a magnificent flypast by the Red Arrows and 23 current and historic military aircraft, including: a Voyager transport aircraft, a P8 Poseidon surveillance aircraft and Typhoon and F-35 fighter jets. 

Poppies make a return

HMS Belfast, which sits along from Tower Bridge and is the most significant surviving Second World War warship, will then host an afternoon tea street party.

Tower Bridge of course sits alongside the Tower of London and on Tuesday 6 May an installation of 30,000 ceramic poppies will return to the famous location for the VE Day anniversary.

The wonderful ornaments were originally made in 2014 as part of the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red installation, which marked 100 years since Britain’s involvement in the First World War.

The latest installation, overseen by designer Tom Piper, will feature many of the original ceramic poppies on loan from the Imperial War Museum, as a way to “mark and reflect on the sacrifices made by so many during the Second World War”.

The plan is for the poppies to remain in place until 11 November this year to mark Armistice Day.

Newsflash – war is over!

On Wednesday 7 May an anniversary concert will take place in Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster.

It will mark exactly 80 years since a newsflash told the entire country that the war was over and that the following day would be a national holiday and be known as Victory in Europe (VE) Day.

Veterans shown consideration

VE Day itself, Thursday 8 May, will see a service in Westminster Abbey – with 1,800 people invited to attend, including the King and Queen, veterans, politicians and charities – open proceedings in the morning, with a two-minute silence planned for midday right across the country.

A  tea party is being held at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, aiming to allow veterans who live in the North of the country and who struggle to travel to events in London, to attend nearer to their homes.

Party into the night

The government’s VE Day programme of events will conclude with a concert at Horse Guards Parade between 8pm and 10pm on 8 May, featuring stars of stage and screen.

Bringing the day to an end, 2,500 beacons will be lit across the UK. The fires will be ignited around 9pm, including on the River Thames at London’s Tower Bridge, in Folkstone, Kent, Bridport in Dorset, Fairhaven Lake and Gardens in Lancashire and Cowes on the Isle of Wight.

All over the nation people will party into the night with pubs granted special licenses to remain open later. 

Forgotten heroes make a flying visit

As with any conflict there’s always some forgotten heroes and in World War Two pigeons – of all things – played a vital role in delivering messages when radio communications were disrupted. They are recognised as saving many soldiers lives by ensuring crucial information was received on time for battle changing decisions to be made.

Geoff Cooper, a member of the Paulton Homing Society in Somerset confirmed: “People don’t realise what they do. They see a pigeon in the street and think it’s a pest. But they’ll fly 500 miles in 12 hours; they’re remarkable. During the war they were let go, they used to get shot, they came back with legs blown off – but they still delivered their messages.”

Mr Cooper’s group is among several that are sending their racing pigeons across the English Channel to commemorate VE Day, with more than 1,000 birds taking part. 

Royal seal of approval

The British Royal Family will be present at many of the events, just as they were central to much of the celebrations on VE Day back in 1945. 

In total that day, King George VI and the Queen made eight appearances on Buckingham Palace’s balcony, joined at one point by the PM, Winston Churchill. 

The future monarch, Princess Elizabeth, and her sister Margaret were allowed to join the crowds (anonymously) and enjoy the party-like atmosphere, with an estimated 50,000 people gathered around Piccadilly Circus by midnight.