'We were there when Europe's guns fell silent'

4 hours ago

Rosie Blunt & Joshua Askew

BBC News, South East

Three people from Kent and Sussex described their experience of VE Day

Joshua Askew/BBC Three separate images of two elderly women and a man put together. The women are smiling widely. The man is smartly dressed. — Three people from Kent and Sussex described their experience of VE Day

On 8 May 1945, after six long years of war, Germany surrendered and Great Britain, along with its allies, celebrated victory in Europe.

Millions of people took to the streets to drink tea, eat cake and dance.

In the South East, barbed wire defences were at last cleared from the beaches and bonfires lit at night.

The BBC has spoken to people who were there 80 years ago to recall their memories of VE Day.

Betty Bradley met her future husband Maurice during the war when she was a Girl Guide and he was leader of his Scout group

Betty Bradley A black and white photo of Betty on the left with wavy hair, red lipstick and a blouse. Her fiancé Maurice wears a tie and a pinstripe suit. They are in their twenties. — Betty Bradley met her future husband Maurice during the war when she was a Girl Guide and he was leader of his Scout group

Betty Bradley, who is now 97 and lives in Graffham, West Sussex, was 18 on VE Day.

Originally from London, she was evacuated in 1939 to the countryside in Norfolk, before moving to Hertfordshire and then Guildford, Surrey.

Remembering the war, she said "there were some horrible times".

"When I came out of London, I can remember going past St Paul's Cathedral with a huge hole in the road and a bus there.

"Nearly every night, the sky was red," Mrs Bradley recalled.

Betty Bradley, now 97, wears a grey polo neck and purple, patterned shawl. She stands next to a hedge with a view of fields and trees behind her. — Betty Bradley turns 98 in June

On VE Day, Mrs Bradley travelled to London and stood in front of Buckingham Palace, where she watched King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Elizabeth, Princess Margaret and Prime Minister Winston Churchill stand on the balcony.

"You can imagine the cheering that went on," she said.

"There were just thousands, millions of people in London and I can remember walking down Whitehall afterwards – at least we tried to – I felt as if I was being carried off my feet by all the crowd."

On her return home, she said: "We had the lights on which was the most exciting thing for us. We could pull the curtains open – and no more black out!"

Although VE Day came as a relief, Mrs Bradley recalled that "it was only in Europe and we still had a lot of men in the Far East and Burma and a lot of British were held in Japanese camps, so there was a lot of people who were just wishing the whole thing would finish".

Japan surrendered on 15 August 1945, ending the war altogether.

Mrs Bradley remembered "all the young people in their uniforms who were very excited"

Getty Images A black and white photo of a line of people linking arms, dancing and singing. They are wearing 1940s clothes and the two men are wearing sailors' uniforms. There are decorative streams of paper all over them and the street. They are in London. — Mrs Bradley remembered "all the young people in their uniforms who were very excited"

Kit Taylor, a child on VE Day, remembers being told to be quiet as the adults gathered around the radio listening to news of the ceasefire in Europe.

"I wasn't quite sure what was happening at the time," she told the BBC.

"Each time I tried to butt in, I was told to be quiet."

"Finally, there was this great cheer and everybody raised their arms [and said] it's over."

The now 89-year-old, from Folkestone, says she went playing in the street with other children and was given a bag of sweets by a local shopkeeper.

"It was a massive treat," as they had not had many sweets due to war-time rationing, she said.

Ms Taylor's hometown was bombed heavily during WW2

An elderly woman smiles widely. She has rosey cheeks, white hair and is wearing a sage-colored jumper. — Ms Taylor's hometown was bombed heavily during WW2

Ms Taylor, then living on Greenfield Road, said people had a "huge mixture of emotions".

"Some of us hadn't seen our fathers the whole of the war... but it [the mood on the streets] was absolutely hysterical."

"Everybody was so happy – you didn't often see that," she laughed.

Folkestone was heavily bombed during WW2 due to its close proximity to mainland Europe.

Millions of people took to the streets to celebrate VE day across the UK

Getty Images A black and white photo of a group of people in the 1940s celebrating VE Day. A man in the front of the photo is waving a US flag. — Millions of people took to the streets to celebrate VE day across the UK

Living in fear of gas attacks and having to run into bomb shelters, Mr Taylor recalled a neighbouring street being "completely wiped out" by a doodlebug.

"For this town [the war] was really bad, but for us as children... we'd never known anything different."

Raymond Stapley spent time as a carpenter during the war repairing homes damaged by the fighting, but was working on the railways the day Europe's guns fell silent.

Mr Stapley said people were excited that the fighting had stopped.

An elderly man in smart clothes and hat. — Mr Stapley said people were excited that the fighting had stopped.

Getting off the train at Folkestone in his work gear, he remembers a big party with the women and men - dressed up as "best they could" - playing musical instruments until late at night.

"We were excited," Mr Stapley said. "The war had finished. There were no more planes going over."

"No more worrying at night time," the now 96-year-old added.

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