What a shock ... Bette, 90, sees her face on VE stamp
BETTE Williamson was amazed to spot her teenage face on a stamp commemorating 75 years since Victory in Europe (VE) day.
The 90-year-old was just 14 when she heard the news that Germany had surrendered on May 8, 1945, and she headed into central London to join the crowds.
There she was snapped by a photographer as she rested her head on the shoulder of a man selling American and British flags.
The archived black and white picture from the Imperial War Museum has now been brought to life in a set of 12 colour stamps produced by the Royal Mail.
Amazing
Bette, of Milton Keynes, Bucks, who appears with perfectly coiffed blonde hair, said: “It’s amazing, I never thought I’d see my face on a stamp. My son phoned me and told me and I said, ‘I don’t believe a word you’re saying’. I just can’t believe it’s happened.”
She recalled she was going to work at the Eagle pencil factory in Tottenham with her sister Joan, when their friend, Dolly Marriage, told them the war was over and they had the day off.
Tube travel was free for the day so the trio headed into the West End from north London and Bette remembers the atmosphere was “electric” when they arrived in Shaftesbury Avenue.
She said that VE Day and the war “should never be forgotten” and said it was “a shame we can’t celebrate this year” due to the coronavirus lockdown.
The stamp is captioned Jubilant Public, 1945. Eight of the 12 stamps depict jubilant scenes as hostilities in Europe ended while four pay tribute to those who did not return, with images of wartime monuments and cemeteries.