Browse Items (47 total)

  • Tags: Victory in Europe Day (8 May 1945)

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Colin expresses happiness at the end of the war. He was one of the first to liberate Copenhagen. He concludes by expressing his love for his wife.
There is a title sheet stating 'Original letter from Copenhagen VE Day'

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An extract from a newsletter referring to the celebrations in Lagos.

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Airmen marching in front of York Minster.
On the reverse 'Bill Stephen - Front row centre
6 Group Service VE day '45
Gr. Capt Rutledge Leading'.

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The author was shot down over Linz, Austria whilst bombing a Panzer works. The other six in his crew perished. He was taken to Dulag Luft at Frankfurt then Stalag Luft VII. In January his camp was evacuated and he joined the Long March to the west,…

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View over Trafalgar Square from upper-storey height full of people celebrating the end of the war in Europe. On the reverse 'VE Day Trafalgar Square 1945'

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To men and women of Bihar printed in English and three other languages announcing victory over Nazi Germany and that forces might now be sent against the Japanese. States that men of Indian Forces have fought gallantly in Africa, Europe and Asia.

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View looking down on a large crowd of people. Visible are men and women, civilians and military many holding up hands showing 'V' signs.

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Sheila Wilmet grew up in Liverpool and was 15 when war was declared. She describes the devastation of bombing in 1941, spending nights in an Anderson shelter, and navigating unexploded bombs during her commute. She volunteered after viewing a…

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Account of Jeff Brown witnessing Lancaster NN806 crash on take-off on VE Day. Includes a photograph of 13 air and ground crew of 576 Squadron, under their aircraft, including Jeff Brown.

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Elizabeth Zettl was born in Croydon. Her father was a stockbroker and she had a sister who was 10 years younger. Liz went to school in Hillcotte in Eastbourne, from the age of 10 until she was 18. She then went to college for six months to train as a…

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Sydney’s father died when she was a baby. Her mother remarried and had another daughter and son. The son became ground crew in the Royal Air Force. Sydney lived a few miles from London and attended Byron Court School in Wembley. She was five when…

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Aneurin ‘Taff’ Owen was born neat Dolgellau, near Penmaenpool in Wales, and joined the Royal Air Force in 1942, aged 18. Taff was a farmer’s son and, as such, was put into a reserved occupation, so some of the areas of the Royal Air Force were not…

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Nora Hailey was born in Portsmouth, and then the family moved to Eastney. Before the German bombing she was evacuated to her Aunt in Worthing. After a few weeks nothing happened so they went back to Portsmouth. When the bombing began she and her…

Joyce Clayton was born in Lincoln and served with the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, where she was first assigned to barrage balloons before becoming an equipment officer at various stations. Whilst based at RAF Sutton-on-Hull she witnessed the bombing…

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Colin Atkinson was 12 at the outbreak of war and grew up in Lincolnshire. His father was a Lieutenant Colonel in the army. He worked as a trainee reporter for the local paper and served as a messenger for civil defence; his post was on the Castle…

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Robert was in the Air Training Corps (Sea Cadets). He did pathfinder navigational training at the Operational Training Unit at RAF Warboys and then joined 156 Squadron at RAF Upwood. They did around 13 pathfinding operations, usually over Germany,…

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A card signed by Air Marshal Arthur Coningham, thanking the friends and relatives of the Second Tactical Air Force for sustaining them in their part in the victory in Europe.

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Mary Ward joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force in 1940. She served, briefly, at RAF Driffield but mostly at RAF Linton on Ouse. She trained as a cook before being moved to duties as a map officer, where she prepared maps for briefings and…

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Alex was fostered by the cricketer Bill Woodfull and studied at Melbourne University. He had to go from Somers Camp to defend his decision to join up in 1942. He trained at Benalla and converted onto Wirraways at Deniliquin where he qualified as a…

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John Eppel grew up in Australia and joined the Royal Australian Air Force. After training, he completed 30 operations as a navigator with 550 Squadron. He describes initial training in Australia and the journey by sea via the United States, then…

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Jeff left school at 15 and became an electrician. Being keen on aircraft he joined the Air Training Corps and volunteered for the RAF when aged 17 to prevent him being randomly sent into the mining industry. Deferred until he was 18, he was initially…

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Before the war, Harry Parkins had a variety of positions; he worked in furniture restoration in Hackney, sold bomb-damaged goods in Bethnal Green; worked for an engineering firm in Islington until it was bombed; and, finally, as an invoice and…
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