VE Day – or ‘Victory in Europe Day’ – marks the day towards the end of World War Two (WW2) when fighting against Nazi Germany in Europe came to an end.
Big crowds gathered all over the country , especially outside Buckingham Palace, many people dressing in red, white and blue (the colours of the Union Jack). Huge bonfires were lit on hills in the countryside and everyone enjoyed being able to turn on their lights (during the war they needed to prevent any chink of light escaping from their windows, which might help enemy aircraft see the towns during bombing raids). After the relief it was also a day of sadness and reflection too: many people had lost their lives.
To watch people celebrating in Bethnal Green click on the first picture above and scroll down to Victory Parade in Hackney!
Because of recent events our celebrations will have to be in our own home………but there is still lots we can do to celebrate and have fun!
Make your own bunting: using pieces of triangular paper (decorated) or fabric, attach them to a ribbon or string. If they are paper you can even stick or staple them together in a row. To make your triangular flag the same every time, make a template from a piece of cardboard and draw around it. You will need to draw an isosceles triangle with two equal sides. To do this draw a 10cm line and mark the halfway point. Draw a dotted line down, the longer it is, the bigger your triangle. Then join the sides by making them meet in the middle.
Learn a famous wartime song: Watch Vera Lynn singing the famous song We’ll Meet Again in front of soldiers in 1943. Click on the picture.
Make some jam tarts for afternoon tea: click on the photograph to link to a recipe.
Look out for lots of news about the celebrations: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/
Follow events on the BBC: At 11am there will be a 2 minute silence. At 9pm the Queen will give a speech followed by a sing-a-long of songs from the 1930’s and 40’s.
Email anything you do and we will post it on the blog!
Thank you Jo for this important historical information. It’s really interesting to see how the end of the Second World War was celebrated in Bethnal Green. I’m making carrot cake muffins with my daughter so that we can have tea and cake later. I hope that everyone enjoys the sunshine today!