How we celebrated Victory in Europe

THE following article is taken from my book ‘Yeovil in the Second World War!

- JACK SWEET Yeovil historian

At the beginning of May 1945, the announcement of the defeat of Nazi Germany was expected at any time, and across the nation arrangements were underway to celebrate Victory in Europe - VE Day ~ when it arrived. Already Yeovil had prepared its programme of events, and the pubs had been granted extended opening hours to 11.30pm for the great day.

Trecall Monday 7 May was an odd sort of day, because everybody seemed to be waiting for something to happen and for Mr Churchill, the Prime Minister, to tell us that the ‘war was over in Europe, but nothing happened. Then suddenly at 7.40pm in the evening, the BBC announced in a news flash that the Prime Minister would broadcast to the nation at 3 o'clock on the next afternoon, and that Tuesday 8 May would be Victory in Europe Day and a holiday; Wednesday would also be a holiday.

During that Monday evening cinema goers at the Odeon were watching Alan Ladd and Lorretta Young in a film with the strangely prophetic title of And Now Tomorrow, and when the news flash was announced, the audience stood on their seats and cheered.

VE Day dawned in Yeovil with flags and streamers decorating the town centre, and a good humoured crowd soon thronged the streets. Many were wearing red, white and blue ribbons, but were out-done by an elderly man who strode about wearing a top hat and a frock coat festooned with Union Jacks. All the town’s churches and chapels threw open their doors and the noontime services were packed with worshippers. The Boys’ and Girls’ Brigades, led by their Band, marched through the streets following a service in the South Street Baptist Church.

At three o'clock, Winston Churchill announced in his long awaited broadcast, that the hostilities in Europe had officially ceased and an hour later the Mayor, Councillor William Vosper, standing on a platform built on the 1941 bomb site formerly Boots The Chemist shop and now Burger King, addressed a jubilant crowd in the Borough.