Corporal Alan Farnworth to his parents "Yesterday we were all working as usual on the top floor of the Royal Palace when the news spread round like wild fire that the war had ended - it had been picked up from a German Radio Station and the news wasn't really official" Sent from: Caserta, Italy Date of letter: 8 May 1945
Mary Astles (née Young) to her mother in London "We are in a Palace only lately evacuated by the Germans... by the look of things they cleared out in an awful hurry for things are strewn all over the place - they are most untidy people" Sent from: Italy Date of letter: 1 May 1945
Edwin Reynolds to Ethel Gildersleve "I can’t help but say 'We have worked hard for Victory, now its ours, now we must work for Peace.'" Sent from: Italy Date of letter: 8 May 1945
Herbert Wharton’s Certificate "The people of Norway wish to thank you... for your valuable services in helping to restore freedom to our land." Sent from: Norway
A Belgian friend to William Hendon "How did the Germans react when they heard the war was ended? What a come down for them, eh?" Sent from: Belgium Date of letter: 14 May 1945
Nellie Sykes to Edward Sykes "We have all been under a tense strain waiting every day for news of victory in Europe." Sent from: Keighley, West Yorkshire Date of letter: 9 May 1945
Constance May Carr-Jones to Stanley Carr-Jones "The news came through that 'Monty's' army had accepted the surrender of the German army. You'll be in bed now but what a nice surprise for you when you wake up!" Sent from: Liverpool Date of letter: 4 May 1945
William John Dawes to William Edward Dawes "The church bells are ringing out this afternoon. The peals of victory all over Great Britain and Ireland." Sent from: Fishponds, Bristol Date of letter: 8 May 1945
Lieut W.F. Copelin to Ann Copelin "Thank you for doing your ABC on Mummy's letter. You are a clever girl." Date of letter: 26 November 1943
Frederick Charles Ramsay to his daughter Valerie "I think we shall soon be home now, most of the Germans would be glad to give in now, and I don't expect we shall let them give in until we are ready, they have pleased themselves too much." Sent from: Belgium
Douglas Lowe to Marjorie Suggitt "Well darling the way in Europe is over at last. I remember I used to say that when it was I would get drunk. This is honest sweetheart I never touched a drop, but I said a prayer and thanked God for his kindness and guidance." Sent from: Somewhere in Germany near the Belgian border Date of letter: 10 May 1945
Megan Humphreys to Jock Raven "There were millions of people at Trafalgar Square tonight. I felt as tho' I were a person in the books I've read about the last war. People sang and shouted and smoked and wore ridiculous red, white and blue hats." Sent from: The London Hospital, Whitechapel, London Date of letter: 7 May 1945
Jim Taylor to Pip Taylor "events have moved rather quickly these last few days n’est-ce pas? Not that the long-awaited end has come unexpectedly" Sent from: Uetersen, Germany Date of letter: 7 May 1945
WJH Daniels to his children Brian and Beryl "I wish so much that this day I were with you both & Mummy, still we have those lovely days to come & we are happy indeed that this day is with us" Date of letter: 8 May 1945
Geoffrey Denham to Walter Denham "Well I just heard Mr Churchill's speech at 3pm and I suppose you were listening to it as well." Date of letter: 8 May 1945
Maude and Sidney to their son John Teague "There were anti-royalist parades by the communists in Brussels, but otherwise all rejoicing, fireworks and guns fired by resistance people. Dancing in streets, girls kissing us, etc." Sent from: Deptford, London Date of letter: 10 May 1945
H.Peter Vogel to Marianne and Bruno Vogel "Below me singing in progress, outside singing, everywhere happiness. Pity it is, in so many cases, a drunken happiness. I am thinking of you all in England. I bet London is full of flag! Is there a Czech one fluttering from our windows?" Sent from: Nassau, Bahamas Date of letter: 8 May 1945
Frank Dicksee to Jane Joyce ‘Nin’ Dicksee "As you can imagine even though the war is over there is ten times as much work to do what with cleaning and straightening things up" Sent from: Kiel, Germany Date of letter: 16 May 1945
Janet Thornton to Renee and Pippa "Make no mistake - this is the most important day of your life & of the world" Sent from: Budleigh Salterton, South Devon Date of letter: 8 May 1945
Thomas Spruce Roby to Hilda Roby "What sort of celebrations did you have? Pretty good by all accounts. I would have done anything to have been home for the great occasion." Sent from: Sydney, Australia Date of letter: 4 May 1945
Walter T. Wayman to Robert R. Wayman "The celebrations went off alright in London last week and are still going on this week." Sent from: Hackney, London Date of letter: 16 May 1945
Samuel Bell’s letters "I expect you have been having plenty feasting on occasion of the peace. We are hoping my boy, you will be as soon as possible at home."
John James Smith to Peggy Anne Smith "I'm now in a most magnificent hospital in Belgium in a very comfortable bed with crisp white sheets and pale blue Whitney blankets. Real live nurses, some quite attractive ones too, tending to our wishes." Sent from: Belgium Date of letter: 20 January 1945
Diary of William Charles Pell from Italy in May 1945 "It's now here. Germany radio this afternoon says it is over but nothing official has come through yet by BBC. Churchill is expected to make a speech and everyone is going to be mighty pleased about things including me." Sent from: Italy
Letters between Sylvia and Mick Goldstein "We got the first news last night & with no vino available there was no hilarity" Sent from: London and Italy Date of letter: 8 May 1945
Rita Reed to her husband Capt E John Reed "The houses were all lit up, with their wirelesses in the open windows, playing the same musical programme, and decorated with fairy lights in V-shapes, etc, between flags. . It really was pretty, and I thought Rosemary might remember it for always." Sent from: Barnes, London S.W.13
Mrs Doreen Doe’s VE day and evacuation recollections "We left London in 1939 and we never went back to London again, not that we had a home to go back to: it had been bombed to the ground." Sent from: East London
English (UK)English (UK)
