VE Day Remembered

VE Day and the end of WW2 in Europe-experiences of St James Parishioners

Dorothy Rose, as told to Alison Brennan

Dorothy Rose was 19 on VE day and lived in Dovercourt, a naval port on the Essex coast. Dorothy’s fiancé, Eric Rose, now her husband, was serving with the army in the Middle East.

Dorothy had applied at 17 to join the Land Army, but was told she was doing important work on the Home Front: She was looking after her mother who was ill-her father being in the navy couldn’t get home very often. Dorothy was also working hard looking after two allotments, growing food. Dorothy was told that the war was coming to an end and she probably wouldn’t be needed.

Being a naval port, Dovercourt suffered huge bombardment right up to the last minute-in fact the bombardment intensified just before VE day, with resultant casualties and loss of life. “The V2 rockets were the fiercest-we could see the flames coming from the back of them.” When VE day came, Dorothy was warned not to show lights on the first evening, as there could be submarines in the North Sea whose officers might not know the war was over. After that, Dorothy spent the whole of a quiet day tearing off the strips at the side of the windows and taking down black-out curtains. “It was lovely being able to show lights and to put up fresh new Spring curtains” Dorothy says. “VE day was lovely but a simple day. People walked along the sea front, rejoicing. They gathered at the church for a thanksgiving service. Later, there were Victory teas in the church hall and street parties.” But rationing still carried on, Dorothy says and it was a long time before many servicemen and women, including Eric got home.

For Eric, out in the Middle East, the war wasn’t over so VE day was nothing special. “We didn’t think anything of it.” he says. Eric eventually returned home in 1947, having missed the very cold winter, and Eric and Dorothy married in June 1948.

Evelyn Kemp, as told to Alison Brennan

Evelyn Kemp was 14 when the war ended and living with her parents in New Malden. “We spent many nights in the air raid shelter at the bottom of the garden.” Evelyn remembers. “New Malden was badly bombed. We used to wait for the awful crash as a bomb landed nearby. A house opposite was demolished as was a property behind it on the A3. In some ways what’s going on now reminds me of the war- waiting for something bad to end.” Evelyn went to primary and secondary school at Burlington Road School and the children often experienced air raids and had lessons in a great brick shelter across the playground. “When a raid was on, we sang loudly to drown the noise,” Evelyn says. During the war, Evelyn went to the United Reform Church on the High Road which was her mother’s church. Evelyn doesn’t remember VE day especially, but she remembers how life opened up again after the war, so that she was able to continue her education by attending classes at night school at Beverley (now Coombe) Boys School.

Background for New Malden (see next two paragraphs):

The Surrey Comet reported that although the Government declared a Bank Holiday on 8th May 1945, there was no organised public celebration. Disappointed, many people milled around for a bit in central Kingston, then crammed onto trains up to London for the celebrations in Trafalgar Square. Locally, there were some privately organised street parties, including the one held in Sycamore Grove, New Malden which 100 people attended.

“Surrey at War” by Bob Ogley, (Froglets Publications) states that Malden and Coombe had 80 civilian deaths, 148 seriously injured and 200 slightly injured during the war. 332 houses were demolished, 373 badly damaged.

Audrey White, as told to Alison Brennan

Audrey White was fourteen on VE Day, but doesn’t have any particular memories of the day. She remembers newsreel coverage seen later. She was living with her parents in Newport, Wales, on the edge of town and remembers seeing Italian prisoners of war working the nearby farms. Because of the war, she was only able to attend school for half a day. They experienced many air raids, and spent nights in the shelter. Audrey’s father had a responsible Neighbourhood Watch role, and Audrey used to help him deliver leaflets through letter boxes. Aside from the war, Audrey says the community felt safe, and children and parents weren’t afraid for them to go out alone. After the war, Audrey was able to resume her full-time education and used to travel over the River Usk into England to secondary school.

Ken Clarke, as told to Mhairi Kelly

We had known the previous day that the war was over and that the Friday was to be a holiday, being proclaimed VE day.

Mary and I decided that we would celebrate by going up to London. A train to Waterloo, a walk across Waterloo Bridge, and along the Strand to Trafalgar Square, all the time encountering more and more excited crowds. Circling Trafalgar Square, with its masses of people , we managed to walk up the Mall to the Palace, or as near as we could.

There, a murmur would start ‘We want the King’, which then developed into a roar WE WANT THE KING , and , eventually, out would come onto the balcony the King and Queen (the Queen Mother), our present queen (then in uniform), Princess Margaret and Winston Churchill. After more roars and Hip, hip hoorays, they would disappear inside again, only to hear the same cries of We want the King half an hour later.

The atmosphere was difficult to describe. It was so joyous, happy , even delirious.
Eventually, we made our way , slowly through the masses of people, to the station and back home, to enjoy a weekend of joy, relief and street parties.