VE75 Day… How was yours?
Well, for many ladies in the Ridwares WI, & their friends & neighbours, the celebrations on Friday 8th May were very different to what had been planned & talked about. True to form, a great day was had by all – & homes, streets & the village as a whole, looked wonderful!
Meryl & Wendy decorated the trees outside the village hall with strips of red, white & blue knitting. Karen & Alan put up a seemingly endless supply of bunting around Oaklands Close, as did most of the residents there! It was a sea of red, white & blue! Thanks also to Wendy for the Union Jack by the oak tree itself.
Friends & neighbours brought out picnics, chairs, tables, glasses & wine/beer/prosecco (whatever tipple caught their fancy) onto their drives & front gardens & settled down to enjoy the afternoon, celebrating & commemorating ‘Victory in Europe’ 75 years ago.
The afternoon began with The Last Post, followed by Churchill’s speech… & then the music began… A good sing-a-long followed. Thanks to Ashley & the Chadwick Arms for organising the broadcast & to Alan for sorting out loud speakers in Oaklands Close & providing the song sheets!
Cake was shared – with much fun & laughter… & yes, social distancing was observed!
Those in the Oaklands, were even visited by the Police… & the Land Army ….
The sun stayed out & the weather was warm – most unlike a British Bank Holiday! – so people just stayed outside & enjoyed themselves …. What a wonderful atmosphere!
This continued into the evening when Keith Vernon had organised a sing-a-long in Oaklands Close. Song sheets were again provided & sound filled the street! The only thing missing from a traditional Cockney celebration (according to Gaye) was a conga & dancing – both unable to happen because of social distancing…..
Kath Parson describes her family celebrations: “We had a lovely VE day celebration, Mum & I made a big banner using an old sheet and some permanent coloured pens. We did this on the kitchen table…. later I found lots of coloured squiggles on the surface of the table…so an hours furious cleaning was the order of the day! The banner says ’Thank you to our WW2 Heroes,” Kent hung this up outside their bedroom window, along with some flags so all the passers by could enjoy them too. We also strung some bunting over our new garden arch. We had a nice VE Day tea in the garden which Mum & Dad seemed to enjoy and also managed to stand at the gate and see our neighbours enjoying tea (practising social distancing, of course) on the green outside our house. It was really lovely to see everyone enjoying each other’s company. Mum & Dad enjoyed all the waves and good wishes from our neighbours.“
Gaye asked her mum & her mum’s neighbour about what they remember about VE Day itself in 1945 & discovered 2 very different experiences! Gaye’s mum was at school in Barry, South Wales, all set to sit her Higher School Certificate examinations before leaving school at 17 years old. She remembers that the local lads dressed up as Ivy Benson & her band, whilst she & her friends dressed up as the Black & White Minstrels, all to put on a show. No one was offended! There was an American Army Camp behind their houses – segregated African American troops – who all joined in. She remembers that any of the Forces who were around came & joined in the local street parties. As for the food? Can’t recall! Mum’s neighbour (J), on the other hand, was back in Forest Gate, North London having been living with an ex-neighbour in Swindon due to a bomb blast in the next street which had taken the roof off the top flat that they lived in. Her mum returned to Forest Gate at regular intervals to argue with their landlord about getting the roof back! She must have been successful, because by February 1945 they were home & J was back in the first year of Grammar School being expected to make up all the work she had missed with no extra help! J remembers the feeling of euphoria at the reality of ‘Hitler not chucking bombs at us‘! She distinctly recalled the problem of the V2 rockets hitting London, as unlike the previous V1 rockets/Doddlebugs, you couldn’t hear them until they landed. “This was very frightening as it meant that some poor soul was killed. VE Day meant that there was no more worry about this anymore.” J commented that the street party wasn’t in her own street at all, as they were visiting an aunt & cousins, so had an impromptu party there. She remembers the singing & dancing round the bonfire in the middle of the street. They spent VE Night sleeping in neighbours’ or aunts’ homes… &, of course, rationing continued!
So, how were your VE 75 Day celebrations? Don’t forget where you packed away the bunting, as there is VJ 75 Day in August to celebrate as well…….!
