Ideas to help plan your own VE Day celebration

Friday 8 May marks the 75th anniversary of VE Day – the official end of the Second World War in Europe, and we want everyone to be able to commemorate this special day safely.

In 1945, the long anticipated news that the Second World War had come to an end in Europe resulted in celebrations breaking out across the nation.

Unfortunately, due to the current Covid-19 crisis, families and communities across the nation will be unable to celebrate this 75th anniversary in quite the same way.

We may not be able to have the public celebrations many people planned, but we can still remember the heroes of WWII.

We put together a range of ideas on this page, together with links to broadcasts, information and resources that can help you make the most of this special day and pay tribute to those men and women who sacrificed so much for us.

We hope to be able to celebrate VE Day properly when precautions allow, but for now please continue to observe government advice: stay home, stay safe, and protect our NHS. Celebrate in your own home, or back garden if you have one, but please do not be tempted to visit relatives or friends.

We also look forward to the time when we can to get together to commemorate VJ Day, especially marking the end of the 2^nd Battalion of Dorset’s involvement in the conflict in Burma.

Tell us what you’re doing!

We’d love to hear what you’re doing on 8 May! Share your photos on Twitter @DorsetCouncilUK and /DorsetCouncilUK on Facebook using the hashtag #VEDayDorset.

Share your Second World War stories, and messages of remembrance, by using the ‘comments’ link at the top of this page

Get crafting!

There are lots of templates on the internet for everything from bunting to VE Day thank you cards. We’ve also prepared a VE Day home celebration kit with templates you can print and colour in.

 

The VE-VJ Day 75 toolkit also has  templates, including thank you cards to place in your windows and colouring-in posters.

Dance like it’s 1945!

The Lindy Hop was all the rage in the 1940s. It’s a swing dance that originated in New York in the late 1920s and early 1930s. It gained popularity in the UK in the 1940s thanks to the American servicemen stationed here during the Second World War.

Have a look at these instructions from English Heritage or see some great videos on the internet of the professionals in action.

Have a singalong

There’s a national signalong of Vera Lynn’s We’ll meet again at 9pm. You can watch and join in on BBC One. The Royal British Legion have provided the lyrics on their website.

Get cooking

This is  good opportunity to get creative in the kitchen! From spam hash, or homity pie to eggless fruit cake, we could certainly be innovative! What dishes do your family remember from that time, and have any become family favourites that you’re still cooking today?

Here are a few recipe ideas.

Do your hair and make-up

Many of us may have been skipping our make-up recently, and don’t even get us started on our hair! Well, Friday 8 May is a good day to dig out the lippy, curl your hair and put on your glad rags! Once again, talk to your family or search the internet for hair, fashion and make-up ideas from the 1940s.

Bletchley Park provide some instructions in their activity pack for the Victory Rolls hairstyle, named after the victory manoeuvre of fighter aircraft first seen during the Battle of Britain in 1940.

Ways to commemorate

 

• Pause for a Two Minute Silence at 11am and watch stories and memories from those who served and sacrificed during the Second World War
• Join ‘The Nation’s Toast’ at 3pm – raise a glass with the nation to the heroes of WWII (broadcast starts at 2.45pm on BBC1)
• Watch further VE Day 75 special broadcasts on the BBC, including extracts from Churchill’s famous victory speech and Her Majesty The Queen addressing the nation at 9pm

 

Research your family history

If you can, next time you talk on the phone to the older members of your family who may have lived through the war, ask them what they remember. Ancestry.co.uk will also be making their resources free between 4 and 10 May, and that’s a great resource for researching family history.

World War II history

Historian Dan Snow has set a VE Day challenge for young people and members of the public on a dedicated website

Dan will also host a daily history lesson on different aspects of the Second World War live on YouTube for children from Monday 4 May at 11am each morning on his History Hit YouTube channel.

The Dorset History Centre also has resources and information.

See The Keep Military Museum website and learn about Dorsetshire Regiment’s role in the war.

Online resources

• Read our press release
• Plan your VE Day party, including songs and playlist
  
• How to get involved with celebrations
• Bletchley Park activity pack
• VE Day 75 bunting and posters to print and colour
• English Heritage at home pack, including recipes, dance steps, popular songs, 9 things you should know about VE Day and VE Day in pictures
  
• Royal British Legion singalong, learning pack, livestream and leave your own message
• The Dorset History Centre  including education and learning resources and getting started with family history
  
• The Keep Military Museum including information about the Dorsetshire Regiment in the Second World War Battalions