This letter dated 10th May 1945 was sent by my mother, Elsie ((Bunny) to my father, John Skipper, who was in Nigeria working for the British Crown Agents. My mother lived in Rossiter Road, Balham, London with my maternal grandmother and her two sisters. My sister who was born in 1934 had been evacuated from London to live with an aunt in Suffolk. I was born in 1948 and also spent my early childhood living in the same house.
The letter was found by me after the death of my parents when sorting out their personal papers. It gives a personal snapshot of what life was like in London during the VE celebrations for millions of London residents and I found it very moving.
My mother writes: ‘we listened together to the declaration of war, we should have been together for Victory. How I wish you could have been here to see the celebrations. There has never been anything like it before, and never will again I trust. I don’t mean the celebrations but the cause of same. Everybody has been so keyed up this past week. I can’t begin to describe the looks in people’s faces. We listened together the BBC taking us round the various big cities recording the people’s reaction to the news. I had to content myself by taking a walk round Balham. It was getting dusk and as we walked we found bonfires everywhere. Not in gardens but right in the middle of the streets. People were dancing round them, some had pianos out on the pavements. Nearly every side street in Balham has their bonfires with some houses flood-lit, very posh they looked. It was the same the next night.
We got cracking with putting out Coronation flags and made the French flag out of material pieces and draped it outside with the Liberation Shield. Also made the Stars and Stripes. I cut out the 48 stars and felt quite dizzy! We thought about making the Russian flag but the hammer and sickle got us beat. Anyway the house looks very patriotic. It is all so wonderful’
