Summary

  • Celebrations have taken place across the region to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day

  • Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced on this day in 1945 that the war in Europe had come to an end, following Germany's surrender

  • Events have included street parties, flypasts and memorials

  • A family have shared their father's wartime memories as he recorded his experiences on audio tape

  • Lincolnshire veteran, 'Monty' Major, 102, recalls baking bread for Churchill

Live Reporting

Edited by Jen Bateman , written by Richard Madden, David McKenna and Stuart Harratt

  1. War museum officials praise 'wonderful' event

    Grace McGrory

    Nicky van der Drift, wearing a red jacket, white blouse and blue scarf, stands in front of a display of ceramic poppies. She has shoulder-length, curly brown hair and is wearing glasses. Trees and the skyline of Lincoln city centre are visible in the background.

    Visitors to the International Bomber Command Centre on the outskirts of Lincoln have gathered to mark the national two minutes of silence in the shadow of over 20,000 ceramic poppies.

    The installation which has been specifically commissioned for the VE Day 80 celebrations have been arranged into the shape of a Lancaster Bomber which flew out of the county during World War Two.

    Visitors to the International Bomber Command Centre stand on a gravel path behind a wooden fence and look out at a grass field covered in red ceramic poppies. The field is surrounded by green bushes and trees. The sky is grey and cloudy.

    Nicky van der Drift, the chief executive at the centre, described the day as "wonderful".

    She added: "There’s an air of celebration and commemoration, it’s a really lovely atmosphere.”

    You can read more about the poppy display here.

  2. Wartime songs in Howden Minster

    Becki Bowden
    Reporting from Howden

    Around 20 students from Howden Infant & Junior School are performing beloved wartime songs in the minster.

    The concert included favourites such as Run, Rabbit Run!, We’ll Meet Again and It’s A Long Way To Tipperary.

    Watching from the pews are their families, friends and teacher who say they’re “very proud”.

    The interior of a church with children on a platform singing - they are wearing uniform and holding song sheetsBecki Bowden / BBC

  3. Veteran presented with medals and beret in tribute

    Jim, a 99-year-old Royal Marine veteran from Hessle, is presented with four medals. He is wearing a black overcoat and a black and red beret with a gold badge.Fiona Mills / BBC

    A Royal Marine veteran has been presented with a collection of replica medals after his became lost over the years.

    Jim, a resident at the Tranby Park Care Home in Hessle, will be 100 years old in November and was given the awards by the Royal British Legion earlier.

    He was in Germany during the final weeks of World War Two and was part of the regiment which went on to liberate the town of Lubec near Hamburg.

  4. Drone captures majestic view of Lancaster poppies

    An installation of more than 20,000 ceramic poppies, some laid out in the shape of a Lancaster Bomber, has been unveiled at the International Bomber Command Centre in Lincoln.

    The International Bomber Command Centre is marking VE Day with a poppy display in Lincoln.

    There are 617 handcrafted poppies on the Memorial Spire, in honour of 617 Squadron (the Dambusters).

    The display is part of VE80 Lincoln, a project marking VE Day.

  5. Historic microphone at Beverley tea party

    James Hoggarth
    BBC Radio Humberside

    An old fashioned microphone on a stand with BBC in white letters stands on a table in front of Linda who is wearing a headscarf and an army green shirtJames Hoggarth / BBC

    What’s believed to be the microphone used to announce the end of the War in Europe is here at The Memorial Hall in Beverley.

    It’s being looked after for the day by Linda, a BBC Radio 2 listener, whose cancer journey has been charted by Vernon Kay’s show.

  6. People gather in Skegness to pay respects and give thanks

    Two women - one dressed in a union flag dress - posing for a picture in SkegnessJennifer Hughes/BBC

    Crowds have also gathered in Skegness to pay their respects.

    Shirley and Helen (pictured above) shared their thoughts with BBC Lincolnshire's Jennifer Hughes.

    Shirley said: "Thinking about the past, it just makes me emotional. Thinking of what we've got now, you've got to admire the people that are not here."

    Helen added: "You've got to do what you can to remember them."

    Woman with dark hair wearing a red, white and blue dress. She is standing next to a seating area and is smiling at the camera.Jennifer Hughes/BBC

    Meanwhile, Cherry Kelly, (pictured above) from the Royal British Legion, said it was important to remember what happened, adding: "We also have to think about the future."

    "Today should be a remembrance and also a celebration," she said.

  7. Shopping centre falls silent

    Jo Makel
    BBC Look North

    The ground floor of the Princes Quay shopping centre in Hull which is hosting a VE Day street party. Two women, dressed in red and blue, stand on a stage surrounded by union flags. A crowd is gathered in front of the stage and they are standing in front of long tables. The shopping centre escalator is visible in the background along with the balcony for an upper floor.

    The Princes Quay shopping centre in Hull came to a stand still as the nation came together for two minutes of silence to mark VE Day.

    The bottom floor of the building has been transformed into a street party, with live music, attended by veterans and dozens of others in the community.

    A giant union flag has been hung from one of the balconies and the lifts and bannisters have been decorated with bunting.

  8. Service held in Cleethorpes to mark VE Day

    Lara King

    Veteran Paul Ogle dressed in a blue blazer and wearing his medals, a regiment tie and beret.Lara King/BBC

    People have gathered in Cleethorpes to commemorate VE Day.

    Crowds watched as the Armed Forces Day flag was raised on the town's seafront.

    One of those attending the service, veteran Paul Ogle, 71, said it was important to remember what happened, as well as everyone who made a contribution, including medics and engineers, both during and after the war.

  9. VE Day at 80: What's to come - and what you might have missed

    A guide to the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of VE day.

    Read More

  10. Children in pyjamas recreate air raid

    Sally Fairfax
    BBC Radio Humberside Live

    School children standing in a reception area wearing pyjamas.Sally Fairfax/BBC

    Children from the Green Way Academy in Hull are taking part in a day of activities to mark VE Day.

    They include a mock air raid, singing Very Lynn songs, and writing letters to someone who lived through the war.

    Pupils are in pyjamas because children at the time were likely to have been in bed when the sirens sounded.

    Children taking part in a mock air raid at a school in Hull. They are under a desk and looking at the camera.Sally Fairfax/BBC

  11. What is VE Day and why do we remember?

    VE Day - or Victory in Europe Day - marks the day towards the end of World War Two when fighting against Nazi Germany in Europe came to an end.

    UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced the end of the war on the radio at 15:00 BST on Tuesday 8 May 1945.

    Germany had surrendered the day before and people celebrated with street parties.

  12. Peter Levy drops in for a chat with Vernon Kay

    Peter Levy stands next to Vernon Kay during a live broadcast on BBC Radio 2. Peter is wearing a blue suit, white shirt and pink tie. Vernon has a tweed waistcoat and matching trousers with a white shirt and blue tie.

    As the festivities get in full swing on BBC Radio 2, Vernon Kay was been joined another special guest for his show in Beverley.

    Peter Levy has stopped by to say hello and talk about life in East Yorkshire as well as all of the various celebrations that are taking place around the region for VE Day.

  13. 'We'll Meet Again' commemorative tea party in Freiston

    Gemma Dawson
    BBC Look North

    People attending a tea party in Freiston near BostonGemma Dawson/BBC

    Tea parties are taking place across the region, including at the We'll Meet Again World War Two Museum at Freiston, near Boston.

    It's like stepping back in time, with volunteers dressed in clothing from the era and wartime music playing as they gather to mark the anniversary.

    An actor dressed as Winston Churchill is met by men in RAF uniforms as he walks towards a marquee decked in bunting.Gemma Dawson / BBC

    An actor dressed as Winston Churchill has delivered a speech to people here, who are now enjoying a sing-along before today’s commemorative lunch.

  14. Lincoln Cathedral lit up to mark VE Day

    Lincoln Cathedral will be lit up in red, white and blue to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

    The towers of Lincoln Cathedral illuminated red, white and blue.Lincoln Cathedral

    The Very Reverend Dr Simon Jones, Dean of Lincoln, said: “This will be a strong visual symbol of the celebration that’s taking place.

    "If you think about the role the cathedral played in World War Two, particularly for those pilots returning to Lincolnshire, with all those RAF bases across the county, the first thing they saw, when they knew that they were home, was the cathedral, because it’s such a huge landmark.

    "It’s appropriate that we are lighting it up," he added.

    The cathedral's bells will also toll between 18:30 and 19:00 BST.

  15. 'Vital that people understand what happened'

    Becki Bowden
    Reporting from Howden

    Colonel David Fuller dressed in military uniform and wearing his medals.Becki Bowden/BBC

    Colonel David Fuller OBE, Deputy Lieutenant of the East Riding of Yorkshire, says the “sacrifice” soldiers, sailors, airmen and merchant seamen of the UK and Commonwealth made, along with allies, was “enormous”.

    “It’s absolutely vital that people understand what happened so many years ago and to prevent it from happening again," he added

  16. Crowds gather at Hull Cenotaph to pay respects

    Jo Makel
    BBC Look North

    A woman wearing a grey and white patterned coat looking at the camera, A second woman is holding a wreath,Jo Makel/BBC

    Doreen Blanshard, 85 was among those paying their respects at Hull’s Cenotaph.

    She was five on VE Day and remembers being pleased to get the day off school.

    She also recalled hiding under a dining table to escape the bombs at her family’s home in Hessle Road, near the docks.

    German bombing raids on Hull in World War Two left 150,000 homeless and killed 1,200 people.

  17. South Holland events

    Veterans were in attendance when South Holland District Council raised the flag outside its council offices on Priory Road, Spalding, at 11:00 BST.

    In Carters Park in Holbeach lamps of peace will be lit, food stalls, music and the lighting of the beacon will take place from 17:00 to 22:00.

  18. Howden starts a day of celebrations

    Becki Bowden
    BBC Look North

    A man dressed in uniform salutes in front of the war memorial in Howden. The memorial is surrounded by black railings and features a wreath of red poppies.Becki Bowden/BBC

    BBC Look North's Becki Bowden is in Howden, East Yorkshire to see how they are marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day

    "The union flag has been raised at Howden Minster and Colonel David Fuller OBE, Deputy Lieutenant of the East Riding of Yorkshire has laid a wreath at the War Memorial.

    "It’s a day full of remembrance and celebration at Howden Minster and school choirs will be performing wartime songs."

    The union flag flies from a pole on top of Howden MinsterBecki Bowden/BBC

  19. Swanland remembers

    A service of remembrance is taking place at the war memorial outside Christ Church in Swanland at 11:00 BST.

    World War Two photographs and memorabilia will be displayed at the village hall until 14:00 BST.

  20. Dambusters hotel to get flypast

    The Blind Veterans UK charity is holding a day-long event at the Petwood Hotel in Woodhall Spa, which was the headquarters of the 617 Dambusters RAF squadron in World War Two.

    Archive photograph of Wing Cdr Guy Gibson, pictured with members of and members of his Lancaster bomber air crew.Central Press/Getty Images

    Around 50 blind veterans will attend the event which features a parade of military vehicles, readings from local schoolchildren, food and music.

    The Battle of Britain memorial flight fly over the hotel with Spitfires and Hurricanes.

    Events start at 11:00 BST with the military convoy and the flypast is scheduled at 16:00.