At 3pm on 8 May 1945, Winston Churchill broadcast to the nation that the war in Europe was over. All over the country, men, women and children shared in the celebrations, with spontaneous street parties, picnics and bonfires; huge crowds gathered in central London, bells rang out across the country, and planes flew the victory roll in the skies.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of VE Day, so the whole country will come together at 3pm on 8 May for a 2 minute silence to reflect on the sacrifices made, not just by those in the Armed Forces, but by civilians such as Land Girls and those in Reserved Occupations.
Throughout the United Kingdom, there will be three days of celebrations ranging from a parade and a Service of Thanksgiving, to street parties around the UK and a star-studded concert in central London. More details about these plans can be found at www.gov.uk/veday70.
Schools will also want to celebrate and commemorate the day, and many will already be making their own plans to suit their pupils and their local area. For ideas about how to celebrate VE Day 70 in your school, please see the links below:
- Royal British Legion microsite for collected VE Day stories (available from early April)
- Royal British Legion downloadable pack of ideas including original VE Day recipes and WW2 songs and sheet music
- Royal British Legion school packs to help find veterans in your local community
- Royal British Legion Learning Pack for Schools
- 20 things to know about VE Day, from the Royal British Legion
- Remembering VE Day in school assemblies, from the Royal British Legion
- The 1940s house from the Imperial War Museum
- Second World War posters from the Imperial War Museum
- The Make Film – Greatest Generation project for children aged 7-11 to make their own documentary, from Into Film