Image source, PA Media

Ruth Bourne, 98, worked at Eastcote, an outstation of Bletchley Park, where she was an operator of a wartime code-breaking machine, known as a "Bombe". She'll be participating in commemorations this week.

Bourne remembers the VE Day celebrations on 8 May 1945, when the Nazi regime in Germany had been defeated.

"There was an electric buzz among everyone and eventually the royals came out and waved, and we cheered like crazy waving whatever we had on us," Ruth says.

"People climbed on every available lamppost, lit bonfires in Hyde Park and we sat around singing songs," she adds.

"Not many went to bed that night."

Bernard Morgan, 101, was stationed in Germany when he received news that war in Europe would soon be over.

As a member of an intelligence unit, Morgan had signed the Secrecy Act – meaning he couldn’t share the information for a couple of days.

“On the 6th May [1945] we were told not to advise anybody that the war would be over,” he tells the BBC.

“On VE Day I was with my unit at a small place in Germany called Schneverdingen. I received a telegram saying the war in Germany would finish in two days' time."

He was “so pleased” to receive the news as everyone was eager to return home “but it didn’t happen overnight”.

Read more stories in the We Were There project.

The BBC has been collecting first-hand accounts of World War Two in the run up to the 80th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe as part of the We Were There project. In the next few posts, we're going to share some of their stories:

Ada, from Bangor, Wales, joined the women's branch of the Army, the Auxiliary Territorial Service, when she was 17 in 1941.

Three years later she followed the events of D-Day from Thiepval Barracks in Lisburn, Northern Ireland.

On D-Day itself, she remembered the sense that "something big" was happening.

"They had something going on that day - like a celebration. That's what I can remember,” she told the BBC last year.

"Oh jubilation, that it was over, at least they thought it was over.”

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Image source, PA Media

While VE Day is officially marked on 8 May, today kicks off four days of celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary.

Here's what you can expect to see:

• 12:00 BST: The ceremony begins with a recitation of Winston Churchill's famous VE Day speech when Big Ben strikes at midday
• 12:10 BST: A military procession - involving more than 1,300 people, including members of the Armed Forces - will make its way from Parliament Square to Buckingham Palace
• The King and Queen will be joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales in watching the procession
• 13:45 BST: A flypast will then follow, featuring 23 current and historic military aircraft
• Later in the afternoon: The King and Queen will host a tea party at Buckingham Palace for around 50 veterans, their families and other members of the wartime generation

Community events and street parties across the country will follow - one of which will be hosted on HMS Belfast which had fired some of the opening shots on D-Day in 1944.

Image source, Getty Images

Keir Starmer is praising veterans for their "selfless dedication" ahead of VE Day - adding that the stories from those who fought are a reminder that "our victory was not just for Britain".

"It was also a victory for good against the assembled forces of hatred, tyranny and evil. VE Day is a chance to acknowledge, again, that our debt to those who achieved it can never fully be repaid," the prime minister says in an open letter to veterans.

"It is not just that you keep us all safe. It is also that you represent the best of who we are. A living link of service that unites the values we must stand for in the present, with the stories we must pass down from our past."

The PM also recalls a conversation he had with a submariner in Faslane, noting how he spent 200 days a year underwater, a "sacrifice" that led to missing birthdays, weddings, and anniversaries.

"From the Carrier Strike Group at sea, to our postings in Estonia, Cyprus and here in the UK, every service man and woman I have met has had a version of this story."

Image source, Getty Images

Victory in Europe (VE) Day on 8 May 1945 saw Britain and its allies formally accept Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender after almost six years of war.

At 15:00 BST, then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced on the radio that the war in Europe had come to an end, following Germany's surrender the day before.

Spontaneous celebrations broke out across the country, and the late Queen Elizabeth II - then Princess Elizabeth - and her sister Princess Margaret ventured out with a group of friends to experience the excitement in London.

In the clip below, you can see what the scene was like on that day:

Image source, Getty Images

On 8 May 1945, almost 80 years ago, Winston Churchill took to the airwaves from Downing Street to announce that war in Europe had ended.

Jubilation followed as crowds took to the streets to celebrate the end of almost six years of fighting.

A series of commemorative events will take place over the next few days to mark the anniversary - including a military procession in Whitehall and a Red Arrows flypast later today. Britain's few remaining World War Two veterans are expected to attend some of the events.

A service at Westminster Abbey on Thursday - 8 May - will be followed by a concert at Horse Guards Parade, which will be available to watch on BBC One at 20:00 BST on Thursday.

Further celebrations will take place in August to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day).

Throughout the day, we’ll bring you the latest from the first of the celebrations, as well as stories you’ve been sharing with us. Stay with us.