Events

VE Day 1945 was a time for celebration and thanksgiving with friends and family, sitting by the wireless set and listening to speeches by Winston Churchill and the King. For many families it was a time for quiet reflection, knowing that their loved one had given their all for King and country and would never join them around the family table again.

As custodians of Remembrance, The Royal British Legion commemorated this special day with The Nation's Greatest Ever Salute on Saturday 8 May, following a service at the Cenotaph in Whitehall.

Video highlights

Photos of the day are available in our VE65 Photo Gallery and below is our video, which is also available on our YouTube site.

Service at The Cenotaph

A national service of commemoration for all those who lost their lives in World War II, was held at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London. Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall led the service, joinded by representatives of the Government including Prime Minister Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg, Defence Chiefs, representatives of World War II associations and individual veterans f the conflict. Current personnel from the three Armed Forces and members of the public also attended - all coming together to pay tribute.

The BBC report of the event can be read here. 

Nation's Greatest Ever Salute

After the Cenotaph event, the Legion held a party in Horse Guards to celebrate the end of WWII in Europe - VE Day - 65 years ago.

HRH Prince Charles met with VE Day veterans at a private reception organised by the Legion. 

"We are extremely grateful that The Prince of Wales was able to join us in Normandy last year for the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings," said Lt Gen Sir John Kiszely, the Legion's National President. "It is entirely appropriate that His Royal Highness returned again this year to meet with some of those veterans who made victory in Europe possible."

The public party featured refreshments for veterans, three live bands playing 1940s music, dancing, a Navy Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI) van serving tea and bread-and-butter pudding, one large and several small 'V' installations and our Legion mobile display unit selling merchandise. 

The 'V's were covered in hundreds of VE Day flags featuring personal messages of thanks from supporters.

Other events

Gala Concert at the Royal Albert Hall

Ensemble Productions and the British Red Cross International Committee are holding a Gala Concert on Monday 10 May 2010 at London's Royal Albert Hall, dedicated to the 65th anniversary of the end of WWII.

Some of Russia's foremost artists: Iosif Kobzon, Nadezhda Babkina, Nikolai Rastorguev, legendary Alexandrov Red Army Choir and Dance Ensemble and many others will be performing in a programme that includes wartime favourites – appealing to our common memories – as well as more contemporary songs inspired by those days.

The concert takes place during Red Cross Week, in tribute to and in benefit of an organisation which played such a vital international role during the Second World War – including its humanitarian mission to the Soviet Union in May 1945.

For tickets please contact the Royal Albert Hall box office on 0845 401 5045 or visit www.royalalberthall.com. If you have any queries please contact Ensemble Productions 020 8832 7424 or email info@ensembleproductions.co.uk

Concert of World War II songs

Postponed a week so it wouldn't clash with the Legion's event, Andy Collier will be performing his "Roll out the Barrel" programme of World War II songs at the Clapham Village Hall, Clapham, Bedfordshire, on Saturday 15 May at 2.30pm. The show will last for two complete hours with a break of around twenty minutes between each hour.

Andy is a professional bass-baritone who accompanies himself on the keyboard, and his programme includes wartime favourites originally sung by Vera Lynn, George Formby, Flanagan and Allen, Gracie Fields and many more. Tickets are available for £5 (£3.50 concessions) by calling 01234 766228, or you can purchase on the door.

Buses (No 51) run from Bedford to Clapham every twenty minutes, and Bedford is easy to reach on the main railway line to St Pancras. The area is very close to Twinwood and has strong connections with Glenn Miller.

For further details, visit www.londonandprovincialmusic.org or www.musicalandy.com