Amid the joy and relief, many were thinking, 'What next?

There was a great outpouring of love but, for those who had lost loved ones, not necessarily a sense of closure. RAF veteran JOHN NICHOL shares some of his many poignant encounters with those who survived to mark victory

- By John Nichol

ON MAY 8 1945, Peter Marshall, a 20-year old Wireless Operator on Lancaster bombers was on a training sortie. As they headed back to base, he was twiddling the controls of his radio set and came across the BBC Home Service. Suddenly, the music broke off for a special announcement - the war in Europe was over.

"I connected myself back into the aircraft intercom system and told the rest of my crew. We couldn't believe it," he recalled. "There was this incredible feeling, a sense that we had survived; we were live heroes instead of dead heroes." Once they landed, the partying began. "We just opened the bar and everybody was boozing it up. Everyone was excited to be going home. But we were also wondering what we were going to do next."

As a former RAF Tornado navigator, and now a best-selling author, I've been privileged to spend time with many Second World War veterans, supping tea - and occasionally red wine as they relived their experiences. On the 80th anniversary of VE Day, almost all the brave men and women I interviewed have now died, but their memories live on.

On May 8, 1945, Prime Minister Winston Churchill had addressed the populace: "My dear friends, this is your hour." Anticipating that his personnel may be tempted to celebrate a tad too enthusiastically, one senior RAF officer drily followed Churchill's announcement with his own tannoy broadcast to his men.

"The station is now shut down, and you may go into Mildenhall to celebrate. Before you go, I am going to tell you that I am going out to each aircraft to lock them. Each and every one of them. I am going to put the keys in the safe and the safe keys will be in my pocket, so don't try to get back to Australia or anywhere else!"

VE Day is imprinted on the minds of those who fought and survived.

Lancaster pilot Les Munro, an Aussie who had taken part in the famous 'Dambuster' raids, was on leave in London at the time.