Two Londoners who celebrated the end of the Second World War 75 years ago with street parties have urged the country to “clap and sing” on VE Day.
Lotte Moore, 84, from Hammersmith, and Eileen Hodges, 90, from Surbiton, both said their spirits would not be dampened by celebrating VE Day at home. Mrs Moore, a children’s author and former actress, plans to gather with neighbours on their doorsteps to sing Vera Lynn’s We’ll Meet Again.
She said: “The amazing bravery of the men and women who fought and kept this country going during the war must never be forgotten. We do feel a little like we are in prison at the moment, but on Friday I will be throwing open my doors and singing my heart out. I will have all the bunting and flags out for VE Day and we will all be singing. It is such a wonderful, positive thing to do in these strange times.”
Mrs Hodges was four when she was evacuated from Essex to Hertfordshire and did not see her family for two years. “When the end of the war was declared, it was a magical day,” she said.
“There were parties in the street.” Ms Hodges grew up in the Grand Junction Pub in Paddington and said she was not evacuated during the war, instead sleeping in the pub’s beer cellar with her mother.
She said she will be clapping for veterans on her doorstep at 7.45pm as part of a nationwide campaign before watching the celebrations on TV.
“I was 15 when the war ended and we had a huge party in the pub, it was a very joyous occasion. This year will be quieter because we cannot come together, but it is no less important to show our respects.”
Singer Katherine Jenkins will sing to an empty auditorium at the Royal Albert Hall, in a concert broadcast on television.
