THE NATION will come to a standstill for a two-minute silence to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, before a weekend of music and street parties across Britain.
Over three days of events in May, neighbourhoods will be encouraged to hold tea parties in the street, a chain of beacons will be lit from coast to coast, and the sound of cathedral bells will ring out in cities across the country. The Government has announced that the celebrations will culminate in an all-star Fortiesthemed “celebration concert” to be broadcast on BBC One.
The VE Day commemorations, marking the end of the war in Europe, will begin with a day of remembrance on Friday, May 8, followed by a day of celebration and a third day with a theme of thanksgiving.
The sombre occasion, coming the day after the country goes to the polls for the general election, will bring a pause to political activity – and potentially halt coalition negotiations – with party leaders and members of the Royal family expected to attend the Cenotaph service of remembrance.
At 3pm on May 8, the precise moment in 1945 when Winston Churchill officially declared the end of the war in Europe, a two-minute silence will be observed across Britain.
Schools will hold their own VE Day events during the day, observing the silence, and conducting activities such as reading Churchill’s speech announcing the end of the war, and holding tea parties.
On the Friday evening, a chain of more than 100 beacons will be lit across the UK.
Communities that have already made plans for the beacon-lighting events include: Great Yarmouth; the island of Unst, in the Shetlands; CraigY-Dorth, Monmouthshire; Stokesby, Norfolk; and Lowestoft in Suffolk.
On Saturday, May 9, celebrations and parties will be held across the country. At around 11am cathedrals from Durham to Canterbury will ring their bells, as hundreds of churches did in 1945. Festivities will peak with a star-studded Forties-themed concert at Horse Guards Parade, behind Downing Street that night.
Officials are working on a line-up of international music stars and celebrities in the expectation that the show will be one of the entertainment highlights of the year, broadcast on BBC One.
William Hague, the Cabinet minister organising the events, said the three days would “pay fitting tribute” to the war generation. “It is right that we take time to reflect on the sacrifices made, not just by those in the Armed Forces, but by civilians such as Land Girls and those in reserved occupations and make sure that the whole country has the chance to take part in commemorating this momentous anniversary and remembering those who gave so much for our freedom,” he said.
On Sunday, May 10, a service of thanksgiving will be held at Westminster Abbey, attended by veterans and representatives of allied countries who fought alongside Britain.
Once the service concludes, a parade of current Armed Forces personnel and veterans from the war will march from the abbey along Whitehall, past the balcony of the Treas- ury, where Churchill made his appearance before the crowds on VE Day. Up to 2,000 veterans will then attend a reception in St James’s Park, hosted by the Royal British Legion.
The afternoon will see a flypast of modern and historic aircraft from the Royal Air Force, including the Hurricane, Spitfire and Lancaster of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. Central London will also be transported back to the Forties by a display of period vehicles in St James’s Park.
Eric Goldrein, 94, from Hale Village, Liverpool, served with the Royal Artillery during the Second World War and was in Italy when he learnt that the war in Europe was over.
“We celebrated in a field, the signallers set up speakers playing music and the locals came out and joined in too, happy that the war was finally over. I heard about the street parties back home and I’m looking forward to being part of these 70th anniversary celebrations.”