Summary
On the 8th of May 1945, hundreds of thousands of Londoners took to the streets to celebrate the end of the Second World War in Europe. BBC correspondents captured the scenes of joy across the city - from the East End to Piccadilly Circus. This programme is made up of material from the BBC Archives recorded on VE Day in 1945.
Photo: Londoners dancing on VE Day (Getty Images)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Just before this BBC podcast gets underway, here's something you may not know. |
| 0:04.7 | My name's Linda Davies and I Commission Podcasts for BBC Sounds. |
| 0:08.5 | As you'd expect, at the BBC we make podcasts of the very highest quality featuring the most knowledgeable experts and genuinely engaging voices. |
| 0:18.0 | What you may not know is that the BBC makes podcasts about all kinds of things like pop stars, |
| 0:24.6 | poltergeist, cricket, and conspiracy theories and that's just a few examples. |
| 0:29.7 | If you'd like to discover something a little bit unexpected, find your next podcast over at BBC Sounds. This is the Witness History Podcast from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:45.0 | As part of a week of programming to mark 75 years since the end of the Second World War in Europe, |
| 0:50.0 | today we go back to the 8th of May 1945 when hundreds of thousands of |
| 0:55.0 | Londoners took to the streets to celebrate Germany's surrender. Simon Watts |
| 0:59.5 | put together this special compilation of BBC reports from that day. |
| 1:03.0 | This is the BBC Home Service. Here is the news. |
| 1:07.0 | The end of the war in Europe was officially announced by Mr Churchill at 3 o'clock this afternoon in a broadcast from 10 Downing Street. |
| 1:16.0 | Yesterday morning at 241 a.m. at General Eisenhower's headquarters, General Jodal signed the act of unconditional |
| 1:30.9 | surrender to the Allied Expeditionary Force. |
| 1:35.0 | We may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing. |
| 1:42.0 | Vast crowds gathered in Whitehall and started shouting, |
| 1:47.0 | We want Churchill, we want Winnie. |
| 1:50.0 | And just before six, he walked out onto the balcony of the Ministry of Health Building. |
| 1:57.0 | At this moment how wonderful Mr Churchill has come out onto the Ministry of Health balcony. He's wearing his boiler suit, the famous boiler suit that he's made so wonderful and he had the audacity shall I say to put on his head his famous black hat |
| 2:18.3 | Nobody can say that it goes with a boiler suit, but you heard what a cheer it raised on the crowd but he's giving the |
| 2:23.9 | victory sign for all his might from the flooded balcony now listen the band is |
| 2:28.4 | playing land of hope and glory and the crowd is singing and this suddenly has become a very moving moment for Mr |
... |
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