South commemorates VE Day

Summary

Commemorations have taken place across the south of England to mark 80 years since Victory in Europe (VE) Day, from remembrance ceremonies to woolly postbox toppers
Beacons were lit across the region at 21:30 BST
BBC South Today came live from a street party in Witney at 18:30
"We sang and laughed on VE Day in Trafalgar Square," centenarian from Oxfordshire tells the BBC
Stack of World War Two letters between teen lovers found in junk shop
"You've survived, the war's over," Spitfire pilot from Reading told
Some pilots had "never sat in a plane" before training, Berkshire Museum of Aviation says

Live Reporting

Edited by Sue Paz & Michael Stoddard, written by Nathan Briant, Charlotte Andrews, Stephen Stafford & Marcus White

Tyneham: Dorset's lost World War Two villagepublished at 16:18 British Summer Time 8 May
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The estate and village was commandeered as a tank firing range in 1943, with its 225 inhabitants told to leave
For the residents of the Dorset village of Tyneham, the celebrations on VE Day must have been a bittersweet moment.
The estate and village, nestled near Worbarrow Bay, had been commandeered as a tank firing range in 1943, with its 225 inhabitants told to leave their homes.
"Thank you for treating the village kindly," read a note pinned to Tyneham's church door as the final inhabitants hurriedly left.
They never returned.
After eight decades, the roofless shells of a post office, farmhouses, a rectory and cottages offer ing curious walkers and visitors a glimpse of the life of a long-departed community.
Read more about Tyneham.
Voices of VE Daypublished at 16:07 British Summer Time 8 May
Image source, Alton Library
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Alton Library has been celebrating the "voices of VE Day" recorded five years ago
Alton Library has been celebrating the "voices of VE Day".
The Army Benevolent Fund, the soldiers’ charity, did a podcast with a group of people sharing their memories five years ago for the 75th anniversary.
These are some excerpts:
“We were so lucky. Well, it wasn’t luck; it was fortitude, it was hard work, it was devotion, it was commitment to the country, it was patriotism, it was all pulling together – it will never be forgotten," said Baroness Boothroyd of Sandwell.
“I saw thousands of Germans surrendering – an incredible sight," said Geoffrey Winter, who was 98.
Jack Swaab, who was 102, said: “There was an overriding sense of relief. It was just nice not to be shot at.”
Town's commemoration honours people's sacrificepublished at 16:06 British Summer Time 8 May
A well-attended commemoration was held in Newbury on Thursday.
The town’s mayor, Andy Moore, said it was important that World War Two was ed.
“The world continues, sadly, to be an uncertain place and we need to reflect back on what happened in those days, and honour the sacrifice that people made,” he said.
He said he had spoken to his 97-year-old mother about the end of the war, who told him she recalled the “sense of relief” that people shared on VE Day.
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Newbury's mayor Andy Moore was part of the town's service on Thursday
War's impact on 'sleepy rural town'published at 15:44 British Summer Time 8 May
The impact of World War Two was felt in Witney after an aeroplane struck St Mary’s Church on 2 September 1942.
An RAF Miles Master plane towing a glider, in preparation for D-Day, crashed into the church’s spire, killing pilot George Couch and Victor Rodger, who were both 19. The crash damaged the church's spire and the chancel roof.
“It really did take people by surprise because we were then a sleepy rural town and suddenly the war was affecting us,” Richard Young, a licensed lay minister at the church, told the BBC's Bridgitte Tetteh.
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The BBC's Bridgitte Tetteh talked to Richard Young about the impact the crash and war had on Witney
VE Day 80 flag raised in Lyme Regispublished at 15:25 British Summer Time 8 May
The VE Day 80 flag has been raised on the Guildhall in Lyme Regis, accompanied by official proclamation by the town crier.
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The raising of the VE Day 80 flag at The Guildhall in Lyme Regis.
The Portsmouth Blitzpublished at 15:08 British Summer Time 8 May
Following the Battle of Britain, the German Luftwaffe switched tactics to bombing British towns and cities.
The south coast was on the front line, with both Southampton and Portsmouth suffering major bombing raids.
In pictures: Berkshire at warpublished at 14:55 British Summer Time 8 May
Reading was designated a "safe town" and became home to thousands of evacuee children, fleeing the blitz in London.
Nevertheless, it was the target of devastating air raids.
Forty one people died in one bomb and machine gun attack in February 1943.
Later in the war, RAF Greenham Common saw airborne troops leave for Normandy as the D-Day invasion was launched.
Image source, Getty Images
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of Slough's Women's Home Guard were trained to react to a potential Nazi invasion
Image source, Getty Images
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An air raid on Reading on 10 February 1943 killed 41 people and injured 150
Image source, Getty Images
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Thousands of children were evacuated on the Great Western Railway and stayed with families in rural Berkshire to escape the air raids on London
Image source, Getty Images
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A photograph of General Dwight D Eisenhower meeting men at Greenham Common airfield, their faces covered in camouflage cream on the eve of D-Day, is one of the most famous images of the invasion
Caversham listened to the worldpublished at 14:38 British Summer Time 8 May
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More than 1,000 people worked in the building, near Reading
From 1943, Caversham Park in Berkshire played a key role in World War Two as the headquarters of BBC Monitoring.
More than 1,000 people worked in the building, near Reading, listening in to radio broadcasts from across Europe.
BBC Monitoring transcribed and summarised 240 broadcasts into an 80,000-word document called the daily digest, which was swiftly delivered to London by war despatch drivers.
The news of Adolf Hitler's death was first heard in the building from monitoring German state radio on the evening on 1 May 1945.
Read more about the BBC at War.
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The news of Adolf Hitler's death was first heard in the building
Woollen commemorations in the southpublished at 14:36 British Summer Time 8 May
Woollen postbox toppers marking the efforts of people across the south during World War Two have been spotted in the region.
Stacy Knight shared pictures of the toppers in Gillingham, Dorset, which she photographed on Thursday.
Image source, Stacy Knight
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This topper recognised the armed forces' contributions
Image source, Stacy Knight
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Another postbox topper recognises the contribution of Sir Winston Churchill
MP disappointed over town's lack of VE Day eventpublished at 14:25 British Summer Time 8 May
Poole's MP has reiterated his disappointment that a council is not holding a VE Day event in his town.
Neil Duncan-Jordan said last month that veterans wanted to see an event in Poole to mark its role in D-Day.
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (B) Council is holding a beacon lighting in Bournemouth on Thursday to mark the 80th anniversary of World War Two ending in Europe.
This morning Labour MP told BBC Radio Solent there was "genuine disappointment" that no commemoration was taking place in his town.
In April, the council's cabinet member for culture, Andy Martin, said it was "proud" of Poole's history and had worked to enable VE Day street parties across its area.
But Carol Evans, a former mayor of Poole and former member of the Women's Royal Naval Service, said she was "ashamed" by the council's alleged "lack of interest".
She said: "B [Council] should that Poole has a long maritime history.
"The harbour was the third largest embarkation point for the Overlord operation prior to D-Day in 1944.
"The RNLI also played a vital role in saving lives during the landings."
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Neil Duncan-Jordan said there should be a council-led event in Poole
D-Day began the journey to victorypublished at 14:14 British Summer Time 8 May
Eleven months before victory in Europe was declared, Allied forces embarked on the biggest seaborne invasion in history.
The D-Day landings on the Normandy beaches in June 1944 were the start of the campaign to liberate mainland Europe from Nazi occupation.
Read more about D-Day as it happened.
In pictures: Southampton at warpublished at 14:12 British Summer Time 8 May
Southampton played a key role during World War Two.
Designed by R.J Mitchell, the Supermarine Spitfire became the dominant fighter aircraft of the war.
More than 8,000 were built in the city, with assembly moved to converted laundries, garages and workshops when the Supermarine factory in Woolston was bombed.
The town was bombed extensively, external by the Luftwaffe, with the heaviest raids taking place on 30 November and 1 December 1940.
A total of 630 Southampton residents lost their lives.
Later in the war, Southampton was an important embarkation site for troops bound for Normandy with Eastern Docks used for docking larger ships.
Thousands of soldiers were camped on Southampton Common before the D-Day invasion.
Image source, Getty Images
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More than 600 people died and many of Southampton's buildings were destroyed during waves of bombing raids by the Luftwaffe
Image source, Getty Images
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Spitfires were made at Supermarine's factory in Woolston until September 1940
Image source, Getty Images
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Children were evacuated from Southampton because of the fear of air raids
Image source, Getty Images
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Prime Minister Winston Churchill inspects of an Air Raid Precautions (ARP) rescue squad during a visit to Southampton in January 1941.
Island villagers come together to those lostpublished at 13:54 British Summer Time 8 May
On the Isle of Wight, a special VE Day 80 flag was raised in Bembridge's War Memorial Gardens during a ceremony.
The names of those from the village who were killed during the war were also read out.
A party will be held in its village hall on Thursday and a service will be held at Holy Trinity Church from 18:30 BST, with another commemoration at the war memorial from 21:00.
Image source, Bembridge Parish Council
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Villagers in Bembridge marked the 80th anniversary on Thursday
Knitting groups mark VE Day anniversarypublished at 13:48 British Summer Time 8 May
In Weymouth, local knitting groups have placed woollen decorations over bollards to mark the roles played by the armed forces during World War Two.
A number of events will take place in the town, external as it celebrates the end of World War Two in Europe 80 years ago.
Image source, Weymouth Town Council
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The special creations have been displayed to mark the anniversary
Image source, Weymouth Town Council
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Several events will be held in Weymouth to mark VE Day
Some pilots had 'never sat in a plane' before trainingpublished at 13:41 British Summer Time 8 May
Ken Fostekew is the curator of the Berkshire Museum of Aviation and said the former Woodley Aerodrome, which is based at the site, was critical to the war effort as a training base.
"It was very important because some of these guys had never sat in an aeroplane, let alone flown one," he told BBC Radio Berkshire's Kirsten O'Brien.
"They ed the Royal Air Force and that's what they did."
A yellow Miles Magister plane is one of the museum's exhibits and about 1,000 of them were created in Woodley during the war.
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The Museum of Berkshire Aviation is on the former site of Woodley Aerodrome.
Strictly star reveals how to 'dance like your gran' for VE Daypublished at 13:31 British Summer Time 8 May
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Strictly pro Kai Widdrington teaches BBC presenters to Lindy Hop
Across the country, people celebrated the end of the war on 8 May 1945 by singing and dancing in the streets.
The Lindy Hop was the dance trend at the time, with moves inspired by jazz, tap and the Charleston.
Originating in the late 1920s in New York City, the craze was introduced to the UK by American soldiers during the war.
Strictly Come Dancing professional Kai Widdrington, from Southampton, has been teaching the steps to BBC South Today presenter Edward Sault and BBC Radio Oxford's Sophie Law.
In pictures: Oxford at warpublished at 13:22 British Summer Time 8 May
Although Oxford was spared bombing by the Nazis - it was said this was because Hitler wanted it for his capital after an invasion - life in the city and university colleges was transformed during World War Two.
Image source, Getty Images
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An RAF Glider Training School near Oxford with officers of the Glider Regiment of the Army Air Corps being trained to pilot troop-carrying gliders
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Children from London were evacuated to Oxford to protect them from Luftwaffe bombing raids on the capital
Image source, Getty Images
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Although Oxford was spared bombing by the Luftwaffe, university students still had to carry out Air Raid Precautions (ARP) patrols
Image source, Getty Images
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The Oxford Institute of Agricultural Engineering near Oxford was part of the efforts to "Dig for Victory" with the The Women's Land Army established to boost domestic food production
Image source, Getty Images
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Convalescing wounded soldiers during a riverboat trip down the River Thames at Oxford in 1941
Stack of WW2 letters between teen lovers found in junk shoppublished at 13:14 British Summer Time 8 May
A collection of letters between a World War Two soldier and his sweetheart have been uncovered in a "junk shop".
The young couple, John Quick and Ellen Melita Lamb, met each other on the corner of St Paul's Road in Portsmouth in late 1938, shortly before the war began.
After he was enlisted in the Army, Ellen wrote to her boyfriend: "Think of all the lovely, silly things we can do when the war is over."
John was in Italy when the war ended, and in his VE Day letter he told Ellen: "How I should love to be in England now. Darling, you must tell me all about it."
About 1,000 pieces of wartime correspondence between the lovers were discovered several decades later.
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The handwritten letters date between 1938 and 1953
Commemorations held across the southpublished at 13:04 British Summer Time 8 May
Events are being held across the south to celebrate the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
Dorchester Town Council held a commemoration with a reading from its town crier, Anthony Harrison.
He was accompanied by Dorchester's mayor, Robin Potter, and of the town's branch of the Royal Navy Association.
The town's beacon will be lit at Salisbury Field later.
Image source, Dorchester Town Council
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of the Royal Navy Association attended the event in Dorchester on Thursday
The Southampton Blitzpublished at 12:49 British Summer Time 8 May
VE Day was celebrated with relief and joy at the end of the conflict in Europe, not least because World War Two had seen unprecedented losses among civilian populations.
Aerial bombing raids devastated towns and cities.
More than 43,000 civilians were thought to have been killed throughout the UK.
On the south coast, both Southampton and Portsmouth were targeted because of their key military roles.