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During the course of the summer months many
people have attended VE celebration events throughout Northern
Ireland, including, street parties, Barbecue's, vintage vehicle
displays, story telling and fireworks displays. So what does
VE Day mean and why do we remember?
Victory in Europe Day or VE Dayas it is known,
was celebrated on 8th May 1945, the date when the allied armies
during the Second World War formally celebrated the defeat
of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich.
On that date, massive celebrations took place,
particularly in London, where over a million people celebrated
in a carnival atmosphere the end of the European war. In London
crowds massed in Trafalgar Square and up the Mall to Buckingham
Palace, where King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, accompanied
by the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, appeared on the
balcony of the Palace to the cheering crowds. Princess Elizabeth,
now Queen Elizabeth II, and her sister Princess Margaret were
allowed to wander anonymously among the crowds and take part
in the celebrations in London.
In the United States, President Harry Truman,
who celebrated his 61st birthday that day, dedicated the victory
to the memory of his predecessor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, because
he had been so committed to ending the war. Roosevelt had
died less than a month earlier, on April 12, 1945.
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