Send your memories of VE Day to charity

WITH tomorrow marking 75 days until the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, the Prime Minister will this weekend announce the Government’s latest plans for parades and street parties across the country.

At the centre of the national celebrations on the May 8 Bank Holiday will be the spectacular VE Day 75 celebration at the Royal Albert Hall in London supported by the Daily Mail.

The event is in aid of SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, which is launching an appeal for members of the wartime generation to contribute their personal anecdotes and memories of VE Day.

These may include stories from veterans or recollections from the Home Front. A selection will be incorporated in to the concert. Presented by singer Katherine Jenkins, the evening features the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, the Military Wives Choirs, celebrities, VIPs and,

‘We need to treasure this knowledge’

above all, veterans. Although the event has sold out, it will now be screened live in more than 400 cinemas nationwide.

SSAFA, which has been supporting service personnel and their families for 130 years, also wants to create a ‘time capsule’. It will be part of the show and form a record of how Britain celebrated the end of the Second World War in Europe.

By the 100th anniversary, almost everyone old enough to remember VE Day will have died and this year the charity hopes to expand knowledge of what took place.

Sir Andrew Gregory, chief executive of SSAFA, said: ‘We need to treasure, collate and record this knowledge. So please find out what your own family’s experiences were of this momentous day, dig out letters or photos and send them in to us, via email or post. Let us relive and record the jubilation felt on May 8, 1945.’

Anyone wishing to send in their memories can do so by email to stories@veday75. co.uk or letter to SSAFA (VE Day Stories), Queen Elizabeth House, 4 St Dunstan’s Hill, London EC3R 8AD. Photos and documents cannot be returned. For details of cinema tickets, visit veday75. co.uk. The Royal British Legion is offering 750 members of the Second World War generation the opportunity to be part of a special commemorative events programme in London over the VE Day 75 weekend. To apply for the fully-funded places, enter the ballot available on the Legion’s website: www.rbl.org.uk/vevj