Celebrations across the UK
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As Churchill declared peace at 3pm on VE Day, people across the UK flooded the streets in celebration.
Blind veterans Thomas, Peter, John and Arthur fondly recall the moment they heard the news - and the jubilant revelry that followed.
Thomas's story: 'You don't realise how exciting it was'
D-Day veteran Thomas happened to be on leave on VE Day, so attended a street party organised by his mother.
"I found out on the radio. I was glad the war had come to an end. You don't realise how exciting it was to know it had ended.
"My mum and other women in our street organised a tea party for the children where I lived in London's Bethnal Green. There were buns and cakes, and different things on the table... Lemonade and that.
"I felt so excited and it was lovely to see the children enjoying themselves and having fun. They just couldn't stop enjoying themselves."
Thomas still has the photograph to prove it.
"After the party, I had to go back to the barracks on the Isle of Wight. I had fun there too. I had a few drinks!"
Soon after VE Day, Thomas married his childhood sweetheart who had suffered a terrible tragedy during the war.
"The war in Europe ended in May and we got married in June. We were only 19 so you can imagine what some people thought, but we were boy and girl friends, about 13 when we met.
"My wife’s sister and mother had died in the tube disaster in Bethnal Green in 1943 - 178 people got trampled to death. I often think back to the time when it happened. My wife had four brothers in the Armed Forces and when you think of all four coming home alright, but two women got killed...
"Thing is, my wife would have died too, but I was on leave at the time and had taken her to the cinema. That's why she wasn't with her mother."
Make VE Day 80 count. Support our D-Day heroes like Thomas.
Thomas served on a Mulberry Harbour for D-Day, which the Queen later described as a "floating bomb'.
Now 99, he says, "I'll never forget D-Day. It makes me feel proud, what we did. I didn't want it to go on anymore with more people dying. I had quite a few people die during the war."
Peter's story: 'It was absolute mayhem!'
Still just 18 on VE Day, former Petty Officer Peter was only six months into his training on the Isle of Man when he found himself tasked with policing jubilant crowds.
"The news came through on our local broadcast system and, unfortunately, it was the day I was on shore patrol. There were six of us youngsters with a Petty Officer, and we had to go out into the streets of Douglas to see that people were behaving.
"Quite a task on VE evening! Everyone was so boisterous, and the idea that we could do anything about it was ridiculous.
"There were all these ladies coming up wishing to kiss our collars, which you do for luck, and the fish and chip shop was thrown wide open to feed us... It was absolute mayhem!"
Arthur's story: 'Boy, the atmosphere was good!'
Just three days after being conscripted, Arthur found himself back home enjoying a street party – alongside someone who would change the course of his life.
"I’d just started my training in the Royal Army Service Corps in Lincoln and, so on VE Day I was still there. When we were told the news we were sent on leave, so I came home to Sheffield to join in with the celebrations. Boy, the atmosphere was good!
"I remember we held a parade to celebrate. At one point, I was stood next to these two young women and got talking to them. And that’s how I met my wife, Nancy.
"It was just a chance meeting, but that’s when it all started. We were married for 71 years."
John's story: 'There were some serious celebrations!'
Stationed at the tip of Scotland, D-Day pilot John remembers the party in the Mess when peace was declared - and going on to witness the Nuremberg trials.
"We were all expecting the war to end soon. When it was announced my main feeling was one of ‘Well, what are we going to do now?’ It took a bit of getting used to. We were all tensed up for the job, but we didn’t need to be anymore. We could relax.
"That evening, there were some serious celebrations in the mess. There was only one way to celebrate in those days and that was to drink as much beer as we could!
"At the end of the war, our squadron provided a courier service for the Nuremberg trials. I was sat adjacent to the courtroom with a huge glass window, so I could see all the Nazi leaders sitting there, like Goring and Hess. It was really quite surreal, and amazing to see them being brought to justice."
Today, these heroes need our support
Arthur, now 98, lives alone as his sight continues to deteriorate.
"Blind Veterans UK have made a heck of a difference. It’s the social aspect - I’m not lonely anymore; I have someone I can talk to. It’s given me a new sense of identity and a new community.
"The charity gives me the opportunity to get out of my house and meet people with similar experiences. They’ve also given me wonderful equipment."
Please press play to hear Arthur talk about his sight loss journey
Peter, 98, says a 'a wonderful piece of kit' helps him stay independent.
"I've got enough sight to get around my bungalow, but I do have to rely on my memory more than I ever have before. I’m very grateful to Blind Veterans UK for supplying me with a powerful magnifier which reads everything out loud. It’s a wonderful piece of kit."
John, 102, lost his sight to macular degeneration.
“Blind Veterans UK have helped me tremendously. They’ve given me a magnifier which means I can read all my correspondence independently. It’s so important as it helps me stay organised.”
Please support our VE Day veterans.
With the right equipment, training and social interaction, our blind veterans can live safely and happily.
They fought for us. Now it's our turn to fight for them.
Read more about VE Day 80
VE Day 80: Women at war
ATS girl Neena worked for the Parachute Regiment – and says it was the happiest time of her life.
VE Day 80: After the Darkness
Read and listen to our Second World War veterans share their remarkable stories of VE Day.
VE Day 80 - Do it for veterans
Celebrate 80 years of freedom while giving blind veterans the freedom to lead independent and dignified lives.
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