On May 8th, 1945, the Second World War came to an end in Europe. The date has become known as "Victory in Europe Day", or simply "VE Day". Fighting would continue in the Pacific campaign against Japan for just over three more months, leading to "Victory in Japan Day" or "VJ Day" in August.
My father talked to me about "his war" several times, and my mother less often. I wrote about my father's service some years ago, as he neared the end of his life. While he was fighting overseas, my mother's war was spent on the "home front" in England. Many of her nights were occupied with fireguard duties, standing on a rooftop with a bucket of water and a stirrup pump, watching for German incendiary bomblets to fall. When one dropped onto "her" building, she'd have to put it out, right sharpish, before it could set fire to the roof.
Here's one small footnote to history that most people don't know about VE Day. On this 75th anniversary, I thought it might interest you.
The celebrations, of course, were riotous. Britain had been at war for almost six years, and let off steam in fine style.
Let's remember, on this day, the tens of millions who died in that conflict. My father never forgot his fellow servicemen who were killed, and my mother had her fair share of friends killed and injured by German bombs and the vicissitudes of war.
Peter
