CliffNotes
- What is VE Day 80? Victory in Europe (VE) marked the end of World War Two in Europe on May 8, 1945
- On Monday, thousands packed the mall in London to pay tribute to the fast-fading generation
- Celebrations and commemorations will continue all week
VE Day 80: Victory in Europe: Britain remembers a heroic generation
What Happened
The mall was packed yesterday, with flags waving and celebrations in full swing as Britons marked the 80th anniversary of VE day – the end of WW2 in Europe.
Monday’s events saw veterans on the viewing platform at the top of the Mall sitting alongside the Royal Family and the prime minister, watching the military parade and marching bands.
This world is politically fragile and democracy is in need of defending and the veterans who we will be celebrating all week actually done that – they fought the Nazis and their ideologies and won.
What Comes Next
Tributes will be paid all week to a generation that is fast fading. Perhaps the greater significance of this week’s celebrations of heroism will be that it could be one of the last major public moments to recognise the WW2 veterans with many of those remaining in their late 90s or older.
Voices From The Crowd
Joyce Wilding, 100, spoke of the celebrations in London on VE Day in 1945:
“We went to Piccadilly where there was a stream of people singing and dancing, there were soldiers up lampposts, it was extraordinary.
“We were outside Buckingham Palace and you could hardly move there were so many people cheering and singing.”
Reaction From The Media
Much of the media reacts with a celebratory tone, honouring the heroics of the WW2 generation. The newspapers offer full front-page reactions to yesterday’s events with images of the royal family leading a lot of the tabloid coverage
- The Daily Mirror says the country “united” for its heroes, eighty years after they defeated the Nazis.
- The Daily Mail and the Daily Express say ‘thank you’ to the veterans.
- Metro, The Sun, the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Star are among the papers to react to the royals in attendance. Many of the papers feature an image of the royals in their coverage of VE Day celebrations.