To Eric, a signaller in Royal Navy in Pacific WW2 from His Parents at Raynes Park, S London.
Letter ‘nr.3’ found dated 10 May 1945 (VE day +2) , to Mess 47, HMS Swiftsure.
Well Eric, my dear old son, we are sailing away through a historic occasion the like of which this world has not seen before. Just imagine it – that we are no longer to be targets for bombs, doodle bugs and rockets – There is little wonder that we in this corner of the land have celebrated Germany’s capitulation with joy and merry-making. You should have see the bonfire which blazed on the site of the doodle bug hole in Woodlands. It was a beauty and people all came to stand around to sing & laugh. We in Meadway felt we could do equally as well so yesterday, VE Day +1, we arranged a ‘do’ all on our own and got a glorious ‘bonny’ going in the circle which we fed with ceiling lathes and other spoils so that it was still alight at breakfast this morning.
I made two big ‘Chinese’ lanterns by stitching together strips of coloured paper mum unearthed from her stock of oddments and hung them on a rope strung from the front door to a pole nailed to the gate post. Mr Wiltshire, still hobbling about with his leg in plaster and the ‘iron’ protruding beyond, decorated his porch with his string of Christmas tree lights. He also brought his extension loud speaker on to our lawn and I amplified the noise by setting my HMV at full blast and opening all the windows. When the blazing pile and the dance band blare attracted the crowd, chairs were produced for the lame and infirm, whilst the livelier spirits and youngsters danced round the ring. Then Mr Freeman suggested hauling his piano into the street and in a jiff it was there and the sing song proceeded at a merry pace, assisted by our staid and gentlemanly neighbour Mr Stringer making whoopy with a jews harp. – Nobody could hear him but what did that matter, he was happy, and so were we.
Roger, Stella, Rodney and all the other kids had the time of their lives and won’t forget Victory Day Number 1. They danced round the fire, they sand and made torches of lathes dipper in tar produced by Sid Andrew – a white man is Sid!! We left his tar pot where all the kids could help themselves and yours trule must needs step in the mess they made on the pavement and go paddling indoors. Mum’s been busy ever since with thought trying to get the stain out of her brussels and from off my trousers.
When the business was going well Mr W brought out a supply of his ice cream wafers – another white mass!! Oh, lumey, what a do. In Wedway they aren’t one better for they rigged up a stage of barrels and Morrison ‘tops’ outside Kaufmann’s house and gave a concert in which, Jackson, Clapp, Jodie JKaufmann and others amused the crowd until the small hours – not that we worried for we had fun enough of our own. The ? came round for a basin full.
Everywhere is decorated, the coronation display of flags and bunting aint in it!! One enthusiastic soul in Meadow Close has popped a flag pole clean up through his roof. I should have thoughts he had had it rattled up sufficiently already.
In the afternoon before we started this “whoopy” racket we went ‘up west’ with Mrs Wiltshire and Pamela. We toddled over Westminster Bridge from Waterloo and had a peep at the Abbey and St Margaret’s Church too. Thence we went to Trafalgar Square via Whitehall then wended our way along the Mall through the crowds to Buckingham Palace or thereabouts. We couldn’t get too near for the throng. I was getting a trifle footweary so we sat under the trees and emptied our flasks while the band played lively tunes. It was like a fair with hundreds of people walking about the colours and the music making up the festive effect. As we sat there a loud speaker announcement was made to the effect that Churchill was out on a trip round the Embassises and have an indication of the route he would take so we finished our tea, walked across the Park to Piccadilly and took or stand with the crowd on the pavement. We hadn’t too long to wait when noise of the cheering was heard up the road. The crowds on the pavements rushed in the roadway and with them our ? The P Minister was sitting up on the back of an open car preceded by four mounted police followed by one or two police cars and three lorries with released prisoners.
