1 00:00:00,621 --> 00:00:03,210 [crowd cheering] 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 3 00:00:04,142 --> 00:00:06,834 [flowing music] 4 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 5 00:00:17,500 --> 00:00:21,090 [Winston Churchill] This is your victory, 6 00:00:22,746 --> 00:00:23,575 victory 7 00:00:25,232 --> 00:00:28,407 of the cause of freedom in every land. 8 00:00:34,586 --> 00:00:36,553 In all our long history, 9 00:00:37,830 --> 00:00:41,351 we have never seen a greater day than this. 10 00:00:43,595 --> 00:00:44,389 Everyone, 11 00:00:45,390 --> 00:00:47,116 man or woman, 12 00:00:47,116 --> 00:00:49,187 has done their best. 13 00:00:49,187 --> 00:00:52,880 Everyone has tried, none has quit. 14 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:56,159 Neither the long years, nor the dangers, 15 00:00:57,402 --> 00:01:00,577 nor the fierce attacks of the enemy, 16 00:01:00,577 --> 00:01:04,374 have in any way weakened the unbending resolve 17 00:01:05,617 --> 00:01:07,446 of the British nation. 18 00:01:07,446 --> 00:01:10,208 [crowd cheering] 19 00:01:14,039 --> 00:01:16,110 God bless you all. 20 00:01:16,110 --> 00:01:18,871 [crowd cheering] 21 00:01:28,329 --> 00:01:30,745 [calm music] 22 00:01:40,583 --> 00:01:42,550 [Narrator] Monday morning in central London 23 00:01:42,550 --> 00:01:46,968 on May the 7th, 1945, was overcast but dry. 24 00:01:48,418 --> 00:01:52,112 But, unlike previous Mondays over the last five years, 25 00:01:52,112 --> 00:01:54,079 there seemed to be more people around. 26 00:01:55,805 --> 00:01:57,703 Amongst the crowds beginning to gather 27 00:01:57,703 --> 00:02:00,672 in Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square, 28 00:02:00,672 --> 00:02:04,124 thoughts of the dull spring weather were set aside. 29 00:02:04,124 --> 00:02:07,644 News was coming through of momentous events in Europe. 30 00:02:09,336 --> 00:02:12,132 Ever since the US and Russian forces 31 00:02:12,132 --> 00:02:16,653 had met at Torgau on the river Elbe on April the 25th, 32 00:02:16,653 --> 00:02:18,138 it seemed the end of the war 33 00:02:18,138 --> 00:02:20,588 against Nazi Germany was in sight. 34 00:02:22,487 --> 00:02:24,454 Over the last weeks of April, 35 00:02:24,454 --> 00:02:26,353 the news reels were full of stories 36 00:02:26,353 --> 00:02:29,149 documenting the collapse of the Third Reich. 37 00:02:30,736 --> 00:02:33,429 All German forces in Italy had surrendered. 38 00:02:35,155 --> 00:02:38,054 The Red Army was fighting its way through Berlin, 39 00:02:38,054 --> 00:02:40,194 street-by-street. 40 00:02:40,194 --> 00:02:42,162 As the last defenses crumbled, 41 00:02:42,162 --> 00:02:44,647 Hitler committed suicide just before 42 00:02:44,647 --> 00:02:48,582 the Red Army soldiers finally smashed their way through 43 00:02:48,582 --> 00:02:52,102 to raise the Soviet Flag over the Reichstag, 44 00:02:52,102 --> 00:02:54,035 the German parliament building. 45 00:02:55,382 --> 00:02:57,280 To the north, British forces 46 00:02:57,280 --> 00:02:59,489 had crossed the river Elbe as well 47 00:02:59,489 --> 00:03:01,629 and had gone on to capture Hamburg, 48 00:03:01,629 --> 00:03:03,286 Germany's second city. 49 00:03:05,875 --> 00:03:08,188 But on Monday, May the 7th, 50 00:03:08,188 --> 00:03:10,604 people up and down Britain sensed that 51 00:03:10,604 --> 00:03:13,020 something momentous was about to happen. 52 00:03:13,917 --> 00:03:16,126 After six years of sacrifice 53 00:03:16,126 --> 00:03:18,198 during which they had been bombed, 54 00:03:18,198 --> 00:03:20,165 machine gunned, and starved, 55 00:03:20,165 --> 00:03:23,651 the British public knew that the war must be over. 56 00:03:24,687 --> 00:03:25,929 The events in Europe 57 00:03:25,929 --> 00:03:27,621 at the beginning of May 1945 58 00:03:27,621 --> 00:03:29,761 start to move really quickly. 59 00:03:29,761 --> 00:03:31,763 On the first it's announced to the world 60 00:03:31,763 --> 00:03:33,523 that Hitler is dead. 61 00:03:33,523 --> 00:03:37,078 Two days later, his successor, Grand Admiral Doenitz 62 00:03:37,078 --> 00:03:39,460 sends a delegation to Montgomery's headquarters 63 00:03:39,460 --> 00:03:41,497 on Luneburg Heath, near Hamburg. 64 00:03:43,395 --> 00:03:46,156 Montgomery finds their terms unacceptable 65 00:03:46,156 --> 00:03:48,124 and sends them away. 66 00:03:48,124 --> 00:03:49,988 They return the following day 67 00:03:49,988 --> 00:03:52,335 and that afternoon the surrender is signed 68 00:03:52,335 --> 00:03:54,372 in Montgomery's tent. 69 00:03:54,372 --> 00:03:57,167 The end of the war in Europe is drawing nearer. 70 00:03:58,445 --> 00:04:00,964 The German command to carry out at once, 71 00:04:01,827 --> 00:04:03,622 and without argument or comment, 72 00:04:04,899 --> 00:04:06,418 all further orders 73 00:04:06,418 --> 00:04:09,249 that will be issued by the Allied Powers 74 00:04:09,249 --> 00:04:10,595 on any subject. 75 00:04:12,631 --> 00:04:14,495 Disobedience of orders, 76 00:04:14,495 --> 00:04:16,497 or failure to comply with them, 77 00:04:17,912 --> 00:04:21,640 will be regarded as a breach of these surrender terms 78 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:23,849 and will be dealt with by the Allied Powers 79 00:04:25,057 --> 00:04:27,163 in accordance with the accepted laws 80 00:04:27,163 --> 00:04:29,890 and usages of war. 81 00:04:29,890 --> 00:04:32,133 [Narrator] All across Germany, the Reich, 82 00:04:32,133 --> 00:04:34,377 which was meant to last a thousand years, 83 00:04:34,377 --> 00:04:36,310 began to crumble. 84 00:04:36,310 --> 00:04:38,933 German forces were laying down their weapons. 85 00:04:38,933 --> 00:04:40,832 Sometimes individually. 86 00:04:40,832 --> 00:04:42,972 Other times, as whole divisions. 87 00:04:44,076 --> 00:04:46,182 They joined the thousands of refugees 88 00:04:46,182 --> 00:04:49,427 already on the congested roads across Germany, 89 00:04:49,427 --> 00:04:52,499 as everyone sought to flee to the West, 90 00:04:52,499 --> 00:04:54,363 away from the Soviet army. 91 00:04:56,986 --> 00:04:58,988 General Dwight D. Eisenhower, 92 00:04:58,988 --> 00:05:01,956 the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe 93 00:05:01,956 --> 00:05:05,201 realized that now was the moment to press home 94 00:05:05,201 --> 00:05:06,409 the advantage. 95 00:05:07,824 --> 00:05:09,930 Eisenhower, concerned that Germans 96 00:05:09,930 --> 00:05:11,483 were trying to drive a wedge between 97 00:05:11,483 --> 00:05:15,211 the Western Allies and the Soviet Union, 98 00:05:15,211 --> 00:05:17,006 decreed that there would no longer be 99 00:05:17,006 --> 00:05:19,491 anymore of these partial surrenders. 100 00:05:19,491 --> 00:05:21,459 The only thing acceptable to him 101 00:05:21,459 --> 00:05:23,806 was a complete, unconditional surrender 102 00:05:23,806 --> 00:05:25,877 of all German forces. 103 00:05:25,877 --> 00:05:28,638 [tense music] 104 00:05:28,638 --> 00:05:31,261 [Narrator] Over the weekend, the German delegation 105 00:05:31,261 --> 00:05:34,334 arrived at the Allied Headquarters in Reims 106 00:05:34,334 --> 00:05:35,714 in Northern France. 107 00:05:37,958 --> 00:05:39,408 Realizing that there was little 108 00:05:39,408 --> 00:05:41,651 that they had left to negotiate with 109 00:05:41,651 --> 00:05:44,067 they signed the Instrument of Surrender. 110 00:05:55,941 --> 00:05:57,598 As news of the signing of 111 00:05:57,598 --> 00:06:00,601 the Instrument of Surrender in Reims spread, 112 00:06:00,601 --> 00:06:02,638 tens of thousands of Londoners 113 00:06:02,638 --> 00:06:04,398 and people from around the country 114 00:06:04,398 --> 00:06:06,262 poured into Central London. 115 00:06:07,539 --> 00:06:11,232 In Piccadilly Circus, civilians, servicemen and women 116 00:06:11,232 --> 00:06:13,442 filled the pavements and roads. 117 00:06:13,442 --> 00:06:15,961 Cars and buses struggled to find a way 118 00:06:15,961 --> 00:06:17,584 through the happy crowds. 119 00:06:18,999 --> 00:06:20,449 A column of students 120 00:06:20,449 --> 00:06:22,382 marched up and down the Strand 121 00:06:22,382 --> 00:06:24,798 before heading off down Pall Mall 122 00:06:24,798 --> 00:06:26,386 towards Buckingham Palace. 123 00:06:27,594 --> 00:06:29,734 But there had been no official announcement 124 00:06:29,734 --> 00:06:32,046 that the war in Europe was really over. 125 00:06:35,671 --> 00:06:39,053 The Allied Force, which invaded Europe 126 00:06:39,053 --> 00:06:42,229 on June 6th, 1944 127 00:06:43,472 --> 00:06:45,646 has with it's great Russian Allies 128 00:06:45,646 --> 00:06:47,924 and forces advancing from the South 129 00:06:47,924 --> 00:06:51,549 utterly defeated the Germans by land, sea and air. 130 00:06:51,549 --> 00:06:53,205 This unconditional surrender 131 00:06:53,205 --> 00:06:54,897 has been achieved by team work. 132 00:06:56,312 --> 00:06:59,177 Team work not only among all the allies participating 133 00:06:59,177 --> 00:07:01,179 but among all the services, 134 00:07:01,179 --> 00:07:02,422 land, sea and air. 135 00:07:06,529 --> 00:07:09,705 [Narrator] Eisenhower's words, however, proved premature. 136 00:07:09,705 --> 00:07:13,260 No sooner had the news of the surrender reached Moscow, 137 00:07:13,260 --> 00:07:16,021 then Stalin declared it void. 138 00:07:16,021 --> 00:07:17,471 The reality was, 139 00:07:17,471 --> 00:07:19,439 he wanted that document 140 00:07:19,439 --> 00:07:22,372 to be signed in the heart of the enemy territory: 141 00:07:22,372 --> 00:07:23,201 Berlin. 142 00:07:30,588 --> 00:07:32,728 [Narrator] The ink on the Surrender Documents 143 00:07:32,728 --> 00:07:34,212 was barely dry, 144 00:07:34,212 --> 00:07:37,111 and already cracks were beginning to appear 145 00:07:37,111 --> 00:07:39,597 in the Allies' relationships. 146 00:07:39,597 --> 00:07:42,082 A new world order was emerging. 147 00:07:45,706 --> 00:07:49,399 [men speaking indistinctly] 148 00:08:27,886 --> 00:08:31,511 Despite the question marks over the surrender, 149 00:08:31,511 --> 00:08:34,341 back in the United Kingdom, everyone was waiting for 150 00:08:34,341 --> 00:08:36,308 the official announcement to be made. 151 00:08:36,308 --> 00:08:39,035 That came at three p.m. on the 8th of May. 152 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:43,005 Britain's biggest party was about to begin. 153 00:08:44,178 --> 00:08:46,733 [Narrator] An enormous crowd now filled London. 154 00:08:46,733 --> 00:08:50,115 Some estimates put the figure at around a million people. 155 00:08:51,220 --> 00:08:53,049 Despite the size of the crowd, 156 00:08:53,049 --> 00:08:54,637 they waited patiently 157 00:08:54,637 --> 00:08:56,881 for Prime Minister Winston Churchill 158 00:08:56,881 --> 00:08:58,261 to address the nation. 159 00:08:59,677 --> 00:09:02,542 At three p.m., his voice filled the air once more. 160 00:09:03,646 --> 00:09:06,338 [clock ringing] 161 00:09:16,279 --> 00:09:20,836 [Winston Churchill] Yesterday morning, at 2:41 a.m., 162 00:09:20,836 --> 00:09:23,045 at General Eisenhower's headquarters 163 00:09:24,460 --> 00:09:29,154 General Jodl, the representative of the German High Command, 164 00:09:30,017 --> 00:09:32,502 and Grand Admiral Doenitz, 165 00:09:32,502 --> 00:09:35,575 the designated head of the German State, 166 00:09:36,679 --> 00:09:40,959 signed the act of unconditional surrender 167 00:09:40,959 --> 00:09:45,101 of all German land, sea, 168 00:09:45,101 --> 00:09:47,690 and air forces in Europe 169 00:09:47,690 --> 00:09:50,831 to the Allied Expeditionary Forces, 170 00:09:50,831 --> 00:09:54,145 and simultaneously to the Soviet High Command. 171 00:09:55,318 --> 00:09:57,942 Hostilities will end officially 172 00:09:59,150 --> 00:10:02,602 at one minute after midnight tonight, 173 00:10:02,602 --> 00:10:05,259 Tuesday the 8th of May. 174 00:10:05,259 --> 00:10:08,573 The German war is therefore at an end. 175 00:10:09,988 --> 00:10:14,614 We may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing. 176 00:10:17,720 --> 00:10:20,412 Today is Victory in Europe Day. 177 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:23,381 Advance Britannia. 178 00:10:24,416 --> 00:10:27,627 Long live the cause of freedom. 179 00:10:27,627 --> 00:10:29,490 God save the king. 180 00:10:29,490 --> 00:10:32,252 [crowd cheering] 181 00:10:35,117 --> 00:10:37,084 [Narrator] Now it was official. 182 00:10:37,084 --> 00:10:40,122 Although many people had already started celebrating, 183 00:10:40,122 --> 00:10:42,365 the parties could start in earnest. 184 00:10:43,263 --> 00:10:45,161 As the celebrations began, 185 00:10:45,161 --> 00:10:48,337 Churchill delivered his speech again to Parliament, 186 00:10:48,337 --> 00:10:50,650 before leading the great and the good 187 00:10:50,650 --> 00:10:54,136 to a short service of thanksgiving in Westminster Abbey. 188 00:10:56,725 --> 00:10:58,934 We decided we would go up to London. 189 00:11:01,074 --> 00:11:03,110 We bought ourselves what was called 190 00:11:03,110 --> 00:11:05,285 a workman's ticket in those days, 191 00:11:05,285 --> 00:11:07,425 for one and six pence. 192 00:11:07,425 --> 00:11:10,911 And, that was to bring us back home at night. 193 00:11:10,911 --> 00:11:12,326 And then we had to sort of 194 00:11:13,465 --> 00:11:15,226 waste away the day a bit 195 00:11:15,226 --> 00:11:17,159 because all the celebrations were going to be 196 00:11:17,159 --> 00:11:19,023 mainly in the evening. 197 00:11:19,023 --> 00:11:23,683 So, we went out by public transport. 198 00:11:23,683 --> 00:11:25,443 We went to Gravesend on the bus. 199 00:11:25,443 --> 00:11:28,032 And we went from Gravesend to Dartford and so on. 200 00:11:28,032 --> 00:11:30,724 Ended up on the Embankment on a tram. 201 00:11:30,724 --> 00:11:31,967 And then we were, 202 00:11:31,967 --> 00:11:34,003 I enjoyed the evening in Trafalgar Square. 203 00:11:34,003 --> 00:11:35,936 It was unbelievable. 204 00:11:35,936 --> 00:11:37,489 It was a wonderful day. 205 00:11:37,489 --> 00:11:38,698 [crowd cheering] 206 00:11:38,698 --> 00:11:42,356 I had a brother who was in the Tank Regiment 207 00:11:42,356 --> 00:11:44,807 and was on holiday, on leave I should say, 208 00:11:44,807 --> 00:11:46,326 at that time. 209 00:11:46,326 --> 00:11:49,087 And having had a motorbike, 210 00:11:49,087 --> 00:11:52,677 he took me up to Hammersmith Broadway 211 00:11:52,677 --> 00:11:56,094 where all the festivities were taking place. 212 00:11:57,302 --> 00:12:00,720 It was an absolutely joyous, carefree, 213 00:12:02,583 --> 00:12:07,588 uninhibited display of emotion and relief. 214 00:12:08,175 --> 00:12:10,108 [calm music] 215 00:12:15,010 --> 00:12:16,459 [Narrator] All over the country, 216 00:12:16,459 --> 00:12:18,703 towns and villages celebrated 217 00:12:18,703 --> 00:12:22,362 with hastily improvised street parties and parades. 218 00:12:30,957 --> 00:12:33,960 I was here, in Sevenoaks. 219 00:12:33,960 --> 00:12:37,308 And like all children I took part in the, 220 00:12:38,309 --> 00:12:39,551 in the parades, 221 00:12:39,551 --> 00:12:43,763 and a fancy dress on the Vine Cricket Grounds. 222 00:12:43,763 --> 00:12:46,248 We had quite a celebration. 223 00:12:47,559 --> 00:12:51,701 What I recall vividly is two Spitfires appearing 224 00:12:51,701 --> 00:12:54,704 and doing a victory roll over the ground. 225 00:12:54,704 --> 00:12:56,051 And we all cheered. 226 00:12:56,051 --> 00:12:57,604 And off they went again 227 00:12:57,604 --> 00:12:59,779 presumably to Beacon Hill. 228 00:13:00,780 --> 00:13:02,195 That was very exciting. 229 00:13:02,195 --> 00:13:05,715 It was almost as if they were, 230 00:13:05,715 --> 00:13:06,993 they did it for us kids. 231 00:13:20,903 --> 00:13:22,802 [Narrator] Thousands of cheering people 232 00:13:22,802 --> 00:13:25,977 crammed themselves in front of Buckingham Palace. 233 00:13:25,977 --> 00:13:28,428 Seven times King George VI, 234 00:13:28,428 --> 00:13:30,395 his wife and their two daughters, 235 00:13:30,395 --> 00:13:32,777 the princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, 236 00:13:32,777 --> 00:13:34,814 stepped out onto the balcony 237 00:13:34,814 --> 00:13:37,230 to acknowledge their cheers. 238 00:13:37,230 --> 00:13:39,301 [crowd cheering] 239 00:13:39,301 --> 00:13:42,373 The royal princesses were even given permission 240 00:13:42,373 --> 00:13:46,135 to go out in disguise and join the celebrating crowds. 241 00:13:59,493 --> 00:14:03,014 Soldiers, sailors and airmen were everywhere. 242 00:14:03,014 --> 00:14:04,913 But one sharp-eyed cameraman 243 00:14:04,913 --> 00:14:07,985 even spotted Hollywood actor, David Niven, 244 00:14:07,985 --> 00:14:10,539 amongst the crowds in London's West End. 245 00:14:12,437 --> 00:14:13,507 Emotion really, 246 00:14:15,475 --> 00:14:16,856 it wasn't until then really 247 00:14:16,856 --> 00:14:19,272 that I'd sort of appreciated 248 00:14:19,272 --> 00:14:23,241 what the local population really thought about it all. 249 00:14:23,241 --> 00:14:25,865 Because they couldn't do enough for you, 250 00:14:25,865 --> 00:14:27,418 in uniform, you know, 251 00:14:27,418 --> 00:14:30,904 if you went into a pub, it never cost you a penny. 252 00:14:32,457 --> 00:14:35,495 Drinks were coming up right, left and center. 253 00:14:35,495 --> 00:14:37,669 And if you walked along a street 254 00:14:37,669 --> 00:14:38,498 and there was a street party going on 255 00:14:38,498 --> 00:14:40,362 then you were invited. 256 00:14:41,225 --> 00:14:42,985 It was great really. 257 00:14:42,985 --> 00:14:44,435 [Narrator] For a few hours 258 00:14:44,435 --> 00:14:47,921 people forgot about the trauma of the last six years. 259 00:14:47,921 --> 00:14:50,406 Social constraints were cast aside 260 00:14:50,406 --> 00:14:53,271 as everyone danced and sang. 261 00:14:53,271 --> 00:14:56,343 Pubs were given permission to stay open longer. 262 00:14:56,343 --> 00:14:59,243 And the dancehalls stayed open until midnight. 263 00:15:00,623 --> 00:15:01,970 It may be surprising to know 264 00:15:01,970 --> 00:15:04,248 that beer wasn't actually rationed 265 00:15:04,248 --> 00:15:07,492 although availability was often restricted. 266 00:15:07,492 --> 00:15:09,494 Despite everything that was going on 267 00:15:09,494 --> 00:15:11,980 on the other side of the Channel, 268 00:15:11,980 --> 00:15:13,947 on the morning of the 8th of May, 269 00:15:13,947 --> 00:15:16,950 Winston Churchill still found the time 270 00:15:16,950 --> 00:15:19,228 to ensure that there was enough beer available 271 00:15:19,228 --> 00:15:21,127 to fuel the party. 272 00:15:21,127 --> 00:15:23,888 [crowd cheering] 273 00:15:26,649 --> 00:15:29,342 When you go to drinking, I was 17 at the time, 274 00:15:29,342 --> 00:15:31,275 but I had become a beer drinker. 275 00:15:32,276 --> 00:15:34,243 But, it was extraordinary 276 00:15:34,243 --> 00:15:39,248 and the fact that beer seemed to be in free supply. 277 00:15:40,111 --> 00:15:41,319 But if you didn't have a glass 278 00:15:41,319 --> 00:15:42,631 you couldn't get a drink. 279 00:15:43,873 --> 00:15:46,152 Probably because of the breakages 280 00:15:46,152 --> 00:15:48,223 that occurred during the war. 281 00:15:48,223 --> 00:15:49,741 So, if you, 282 00:15:49,741 --> 00:15:52,848 once you had a drink, you kept hold of your glass 283 00:15:52,848 --> 00:15:55,333 to get the next one. [laughs] 284 00:15:56,438 --> 00:15:59,096 But the pubs, of course, were crowded. 285 00:16:00,269 --> 00:16:03,100 You could hardly get to the bar with people 286 00:16:04,825 --> 00:16:08,036 both before the war ended and afterwards. 287 00:16:09,037 --> 00:16:11,832 [people singing] 288 00:16:14,456 --> 00:16:17,045 [bright music] 289 00:16:18,391 --> 00:16:21,049 [Narrator] News of the surrender spread like wildfire 290 00:16:21,049 --> 00:16:22,533 all across Europe. 291 00:16:32,957 --> 00:16:35,753 In Paris, crowds gathered in thanksgiving 292 00:16:35,753 --> 00:16:36,926 at the Arc de Triomphe. 293 00:16:44,693 --> 00:16:48,110 An armada of small boats greeted King Olav 294 00:16:48,110 --> 00:16:50,250 returning from exile to Norway. 295 00:16:51,631 --> 00:16:55,186 Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands also returned home 296 00:16:55,186 --> 00:16:56,739 where many of her subjects 297 00:16:56,739 --> 00:16:59,121 had endured a terrible famine 298 00:16:59,121 --> 00:17:01,296 in the last months of the war. 299 00:17:01,296 --> 00:17:05,024 And Brussels too, was the scene of wild celebrations 300 00:17:05,024 --> 00:17:09,442 as the last symbols of Nazi occupation were cast aside. 301 00:17:10,788 --> 00:17:14,412 Well I was on the airfield in Brussels, 302 00:17:14,412 --> 00:17:16,587 which is now their airport, and 303 00:17:18,382 --> 00:17:19,797 most people had already gone 304 00:17:19,797 --> 00:17:21,178 down to the headquarters 305 00:17:22,041 --> 00:17:24,146 for various reasons. 306 00:17:24,146 --> 00:17:26,390 And I got a telephone call saying, 307 00:17:26,390 --> 00:17:29,565 "You better come to Group Headquarters." 308 00:17:31,050 --> 00:17:34,570 So I rang up MT and said I need a vehicle. 309 00:17:34,570 --> 00:17:36,400 And they said, "We haven't got one. 310 00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:37,435 "They're all out." 311 00:17:38,885 --> 00:17:40,266 And then they came back to me a few minutes later 312 00:17:40,266 --> 00:17:43,372 and said, "We've got a 1,500 white truck." 313 00:17:43,372 --> 00:17:46,444 So I said, "All right, I'll have that." 314 00:17:47,376 --> 00:17:49,033 So I took this little truck 315 00:17:50,379 --> 00:17:53,279 and drove through Brussels to the headquarters, 316 00:17:53,279 --> 00:17:55,281 which was in the old Cavalry Barracks. 317 00:17:56,661 --> 00:17:58,836 And the first time I stopped to the crossroads 318 00:17:58,836 --> 00:17:59,940 or lights or whatever, 319 00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:02,909 the back filled up with Belgians. 320 00:18:04,393 --> 00:18:06,154 And every time I stopped, some got out 321 00:18:06,154 --> 00:18:08,604 and more got in. [laughs] 322 00:18:08,604 --> 00:18:10,468 And they're all cheering and jumping up and down 323 00:18:10,468 --> 00:18:15,266 and waving handkerchiefs and having a marvelous time. 324 00:18:15,266 --> 00:18:19,615 And then when I eventually pulled into the headquarters, 325 00:18:19,615 --> 00:18:22,998 they all got out and said thank you very much. 326 00:18:22,998 --> 00:18:24,758 Quite remarkable, really. 327 00:18:24,758 --> 00:18:27,727 Then I went in and did whatever I had to do 328 00:18:27,727 --> 00:18:29,108 and walked into the mess 329 00:18:29,108 --> 00:18:31,731 and there was a little bit of a party going on. 330 00:18:32,939 --> 00:18:35,459 [Narrator] In Britain, the 8th and 9th of May 331 00:18:35,459 --> 00:18:37,633 were declared public holidays. 332 00:18:37,633 --> 00:18:40,636 But the celebrations were to continue for weeks 333 00:18:40,636 --> 00:18:43,432 as thousands of soldiers, sailors and airmen 334 00:18:43,432 --> 00:18:45,193 returned to their families. 335 00:18:47,402 --> 00:18:51,302 Well the end of the war was a great relief 336 00:18:51,302 --> 00:18:53,270 to me and my father 337 00:18:53,270 --> 00:18:57,998 because we had spent the war in England, in London 338 00:18:57,998 --> 00:18:59,759 whereas my brothers and 339 00:19:02,348 --> 00:19:05,592 brother-in-laws were all in the Forces. 340 00:19:05,592 --> 00:19:08,837 So it was a great relief to see that 341 00:19:08,837 --> 00:19:10,494 they'd all come home 342 00:19:10,494 --> 00:19:13,117 with the exception of my eldest brother 343 00:19:13,117 --> 00:19:16,155 who had died on the HMS Eagle 344 00:19:17,363 --> 00:19:19,158 in the Java Seas. 345 00:19:19,158 --> 00:19:22,644 The most cheering sound was the parades 346 00:19:22,644 --> 00:19:24,232 through the town. 347 00:19:24,232 --> 00:19:26,475 They seemed to happen every Sunday, you know, 348 00:19:26,475 --> 00:19:29,098 every so often there was another parade. 349 00:19:29,098 --> 00:19:33,137 And on one occasion I was a Cub, a Cub Scout 350 00:19:33,137 --> 00:19:34,966 and I was pretty small 351 00:19:34,966 --> 00:19:39,178 and they invited me to lead the parade to the church 352 00:19:39,178 --> 00:19:43,941 because the people who follow wanted to take my steps. 353 00:19:45,149 --> 00:19:47,531 And there I was put in the front. 354 00:19:47,531 --> 00:19:49,671 And behind me there were two policemen, 355 00:19:49,671 --> 00:19:52,432 and behind the policemen there was the bands, 356 00:19:52,432 --> 00:19:56,125 the boys brigade band and then the army bands, 357 00:19:56,125 --> 00:19:58,024 the ATC band. 358 00:19:58,024 --> 00:20:01,061 And then there were the Home Guard. 359 00:20:01,061 --> 00:20:04,582 And then all this strung all the way down the high street. 360 00:20:04,582 --> 00:20:07,482 And there was I, right in the front leading it. 361 00:20:07,482 --> 00:20:10,001 And my parents were so proud. 362 00:20:10,001 --> 00:20:12,728 [triumphal band music] 363 00:20:12,728 --> 00:20:14,765 [Narrator] Even though there was so much work 364 00:20:14,765 --> 00:20:17,146 still to be done, General Eisenhower 365 00:20:17,146 --> 00:20:19,390 was ordered back to the United States 366 00:20:19,390 --> 00:20:21,427 to take part in celebrations 367 00:20:21,427 --> 00:20:24,533 including a ticker tape parade through New York 368 00:20:24,533 --> 00:20:25,983 on June the 29th. 369 00:20:26,984 --> 00:20:29,918 [crowd applauding] 370 00:20:30,884 --> 00:20:33,370 [tense music] 371 00:20:36,235 --> 00:20:39,617 But there were many for whom the road back home 372 00:20:39,617 --> 00:20:42,241 had been especially long and arduous. 373 00:20:44,657 --> 00:20:47,384 As the Allied Forces advanced into Germany 374 00:20:47,384 --> 00:20:51,319 they liberated tens of thousands of prisoners of war. 375 00:20:51,319 --> 00:20:53,113 Some were out in the open, 376 00:20:53,113 --> 00:20:56,324 as many of the camps had been emptied by their guards. 377 00:20:57,739 --> 00:21:00,569 Aimlessly, they were marched around the countryside 378 00:21:00,569 --> 00:21:03,883 with little or no idea what their fate might be. 379 00:21:05,471 --> 00:21:07,507 I mean, we knew it was coming to an end, 380 00:21:07,507 --> 00:21:09,544 it was a matter of then, 381 00:21:09,544 --> 00:21:12,823 really, of what the Germans were gonna do. 382 00:21:12,823 --> 00:21:15,412 And there were lots of rumors would go around 383 00:21:15,412 --> 00:21:18,380 Germans were gonna shoot all prisoners of war. 384 00:21:18,380 --> 00:21:21,521 And they were gonna move us all up into Schleswig-Holstein 385 00:21:21,521 --> 00:21:26,526 where they would use as bartering counters and so on. 386 00:21:27,286 --> 00:21:28,597 All this sort of thing. 387 00:21:28,597 --> 00:21:30,634 But this was rumors. 388 00:21:30,634 --> 00:21:31,842 We were a long line of 389 00:21:33,982 --> 00:21:35,880 kriegy, that's what we called ourselves 390 00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:39,539 all muffled up in whatever we could carry. 391 00:21:39,539 --> 00:21:41,610 And German guards on each side of us 392 00:21:41,610 --> 00:21:44,372 with bayonets and guns. 393 00:21:44,372 --> 00:21:47,858 German officer at the front 394 00:21:47,858 --> 00:21:49,100 leading the way. 395 00:21:49,100 --> 00:21:51,724 He knew where he was going, nobody else did. 396 00:21:51,724 --> 00:21:54,485 And, we just struggled along as best we could. 397 00:21:54,485 --> 00:21:55,555 Sometimes we did 398 00:21:56,832 --> 00:21:58,869 20 kilometers in a day. 399 00:21:58,869 --> 00:22:00,353 Sometimes only 10. 400 00:22:00,353 --> 00:22:02,390 Sometimes we'd have a day where we'd have to stop 401 00:22:02,390 --> 00:22:05,358 because there was so many people falling out with bad 402 00:22:05,358 --> 00:22:09,328 feet and blisters and bad legs and so on. 403 00:22:09,328 --> 00:22:12,538 They just couldn't go any further so we had to stop. 404 00:22:12,538 --> 00:22:15,713 But mostly they kept us on the move. 405 00:22:15,713 --> 00:22:18,164 And we had some very long marches. 406 00:22:19,268 --> 00:22:22,237 And we just collapsed at the end of it 407 00:22:22,237 --> 00:22:26,034 and tried to make some food and get some sleep. 408 00:22:26,034 --> 00:22:30,625 We slept in pigsties and rat-infested places and barns 409 00:22:30,625 --> 00:22:33,041 and all sorts of queer places. 410 00:22:33,041 --> 00:22:35,457 Slept in the open air a couple of times. 411 00:22:35,457 --> 00:22:38,080 We were in the field, living in the field 412 00:22:38,080 --> 00:22:39,979 an old farmer's field really. 413 00:22:39,979 --> 00:22:44,155 And the Germans one night started disappearing. 414 00:22:44,155 --> 00:22:46,019 And we could hear the guns 415 00:22:46,019 --> 00:22:47,642 of the British Second Army coming along. 416 00:22:47,642 --> 00:22:51,059 And by dawn, the camp was empty of Germans. 417 00:22:52,198 --> 00:22:53,855 We looked around and 418 00:22:53,855 --> 00:22:54,787 oh by, 419 00:22:56,478 --> 00:22:58,584 10 o'clock, I would say, that morning 420 00:22:58,584 --> 00:23:01,138 a tank had rolled up, a British tank 421 00:23:01,138 --> 00:23:02,415 and we said, "Oh, for our sake 422 00:23:02,415 --> 00:23:03,692 "roll some more tanks up." 423 00:23:03,692 --> 00:23:05,901 And all the boys were having tea down there, 424 00:23:05,901 --> 00:23:07,247 they can't [laughs] 425 00:23:07,247 --> 00:23:08,387 they're in no hurry. 426 00:23:09,664 --> 00:23:11,113 -[plane roaring] -[guns firing] 427 00:23:11,113 --> 00:23:13,909 [Narrator] With so many men out in the open, 428 00:23:13,909 --> 00:23:15,946 the danger of a tragic accident 429 00:23:15,946 --> 00:23:17,982 was never far away. 430 00:23:17,982 --> 00:23:22,228 Just after having been issued with Red Cross parcels 431 00:23:22,228 --> 00:23:25,680 we were attacked by a squadron of RAF Typhoons. 432 00:23:27,371 --> 00:23:30,409 One can't apportion any blame to them. 433 00:23:30,409 --> 00:23:34,930 They saw this column moving alongside a wood 434 00:23:34,930 --> 00:23:36,104 and I would never 435 00:23:37,761 --> 00:23:41,247 express any blame as far as they were concerned. 436 00:23:41,247 --> 00:23:42,421 But there were 437 00:23:43,974 --> 00:23:46,286 39 people killed 438 00:23:46,286 --> 00:23:48,565 and 50 odd were injured 439 00:23:48,565 --> 00:23:51,050 some of whom died afterwards. 440 00:23:51,050 --> 00:23:53,397 And it was a shocking experience. 441 00:23:56,435 --> 00:23:59,817 We lost quite a number in one attack. 442 00:24:00,991 --> 00:24:04,304 I guess, their pilot saw a long marching column 443 00:24:04,304 --> 00:24:07,238 and they were all in khaki uniform 444 00:24:07,238 --> 00:24:09,482 or in uniform of some kind, 445 00:24:09,482 --> 00:24:11,553 and thought, "Well, we'll have a go at these guys." 446 00:24:11,553 --> 00:24:12,416 And they did. 447 00:24:12,416 --> 00:24:14,314 They got the end of our, 448 00:24:14,314 --> 00:24:15,177 end of our march, 449 00:24:16,316 --> 00:24:18,836 a long line, a lot of people at the end. 450 00:24:18,836 --> 00:24:21,632 I forgot, I think there was about 17 killed. 451 00:24:21,632 --> 00:24:23,462 But I'm not sure of that number. 452 00:24:23,462 --> 00:24:24,463 And some wounded. 453 00:24:26,257 --> 00:24:27,707 We felt a bit sad 454 00:24:27,707 --> 00:24:31,331 because a lot of them had been four years in prison camp 455 00:24:31,331 --> 00:24:34,403 and looked like they were going to survive and get out. 456 00:24:34,403 --> 00:24:36,302 And then to have this happen. 457 00:24:36,302 --> 00:24:38,028 An armored car, I suppose it was, 458 00:24:38,028 --> 00:24:42,619 sort of came after the Fife and Forfar Regiment. 459 00:24:43,551 --> 00:24:45,104 They, 460 00:24:45,104 --> 00:24:46,864 British Army came up. 461 00:24:46,864 --> 00:24:50,489 Now we had already been out down the road 462 00:24:50,489 --> 00:24:52,387 and put notices up saying, 463 00:24:52,387 --> 00:24:55,183 "British prisoners of war, 500 yards ahead." 464 00:24:55,183 --> 00:25:00,050 Rather like you see out there on the motorways. [laughs] 465 00:25:00,050 --> 00:25:01,983 So, um, and these guys, 466 00:25:01,983 --> 00:25:03,881 oh, of course, we absolutely 467 00:25:06,470 --> 00:25:08,092 climbed all over this. 468 00:25:08,092 --> 00:25:09,508 They said, "By god," they said, 469 00:25:09,508 --> 00:25:12,511 "damn good job you left those notices out up out there 470 00:25:12,511 --> 00:25:15,306 "otherwise we'd have had to have opened fire." 471 00:25:15,306 --> 00:25:17,377 So, anyway, it was great. 472 00:25:18,655 --> 00:25:19,897 That was the end of hostilities 473 00:25:19,897 --> 00:25:21,243 as far as we were concerned. 474 00:25:21,243 --> 00:25:24,177 The Germans gave themselves up very happily. 475 00:25:24,177 --> 00:25:27,836 [men speaking indistinctly] 476 00:25:29,148 --> 00:25:31,633 [tense music] 477 00:25:33,290 --> 00:25:35,326 [Narrator] As the prisoners were rounded up 478 00:25:35,326 --> 00:25:36,845 they were brought back to Britain 479 00:25:36,845 --> 00:25:38,122 as quickly as possible. 480 00:25:43,818 --> 00:25:46,855 The RAF's mighty Avro Lancaster Bombers 481 00:25:46,855 --> 00:25:49,237 were sent to bring the prisoners home. 482 00:25:49,237 --> 00:25:52,067 Some arrived back on VE Day itself. 483 00:25:54,380 --> 00:25:55,795 At the same time as all the parties 484 00:25:55,795 --> 00:25:57,072 are beginning in Britain, 485 00:25:57,072 --> 00:25:59,765 in the background is Operation Exodus. 486 00:25:59,765 --> 00:26:01,180 Launched on the the 3rd of April, 487 00:26:01,180 --> 00:26:03,182 the plan is to fly back to Britain 488 00:26:03,182 --> 00:26:06,875 all those POWs released from camps in Europe. 489 00:26:06,875 --> 00:26:09,878 By the time Exodus finished at the end of May, 490 00:26:09,878 --> 00:26:13,261 345,000 ex-prisoners of war 491 00:26:13,261 --> 00:26:15,815 had been repatriated by Allied aircraft. 492 00:26:17,334 --> 00:26:19,405 We got back on VE Day and, 493 00:26:21,683 --> 00:26:23,858 we were just bundled in like 20 in an old lank. 494 00:26:23,858 --> 00:26:25,411 But we couldn't care less. 495 00:26:25,411 --> 00:26:27,689 And we were going, coming across the Channel 496 00:26:27,689 --> 00:26:29,380 the pilot said, "Hey you guys look, 497 00:26:29,380 --> 00:26:30,865 "I'm gonna dip the old aircraft. 498 00:26:30,865 --> 00:26:33,039 "We're gonna fly along the White Cliffs of Dover." 499 00:26:33,039 --> 00:26:34,558 So we did and we landed. 500 00:26:34,558 --> 00:26:39,425 The RAF were coming over to fly prisoners of war back. 501 00:26:40,944 --> 00:26:44,568 And, you know, people going on leave 502 00:26:45,396 --> 00:26:46,708 and we got priority. 503 00:26:48,089 --> 00:26:50,332 Which we thought was our only, our due. 504 00:26:52,024 --> 00:26:55,924 But when we landed we were given new uniforms, 505 00:26:55,924 --> 00:26:59,134 Tommy's uniforms and deloused and all that kind of thing. 506 00:26:59,134 --> 00:27:01,412 And I was sent down to the insolent 507 00:27:01,412 --> 00:27:02,517 from around Guildford, 508 00:27:03,829 --> 00:27:05,520 to our airbase there. 509 00:27:05,520 --> 00:27:09,179 And, I guess, our COIs were there, COO and these people 510 00:27:09,179 --> 00:27:10,525 they'd all gone home, of course, 511 00:27:10,525 --> 00:27:11,768 as soon as they could. 512 00:27:11,768 --> 00:27:15,185 And I, being a Canadian was left there. 513 00:27:15,185 --> 00:27:17,739 And I went in thinking I was well-dressed 514 00:27:17,739 --> 00:27:20,328 in my new Tommy's uniform, into the mess. 515 00:27:20,328 --> 00:27:22,641 And they, with their wing hollies 516 00:27:22,641 --> 00:27:23,952 and I went up to the bar 517 00:27:23,952 --> 00:27:25,436 and I thought the old commander 518 00:27:25,436 --> 00:27:26,645 was gonna have a heart attack. 519 00:27:26,645 --> 00:27:28,370 He was just red in the face and he said, 520 00:27:28,370 --> 00:27:31,201 "You get out of here." [laughs] 521 00:27:31,201 --> 00:27:33,030 So, and I'm, "Well to the hell with him." 522 00:27:33,030 --> 00:27:34,445 So I got out. 523 00:27:34,445 --> 00:27:35,757 I didn't feel very comfortable there any way 524 00:27:35,757 --> 00:27:38,518 so I missed my drink there. 525 00:27:38,518 --> 00:27:41,763 And a steward came out from behind the bar and said, 526 00:27:41,763 --> 00:27:43,144 "I'll lend you a white collar, 527 00:27:43,144 --> 00:27:46,181 "a white shirt and collar and tie." 528 00:27:46,181 --> 00:27:47,838 So I said, "Fine," so I put that on 529 00:27:47,838 --> 00:27:49,391 with my Tommy's uniform, 530 00:27:49,391 --> 00:27:51,083 went down town to Portsmouth 531 00:27:51,083 --> 00:27:53,464 to have a drink in the bar, a pub. 532 00:27:53,464 --> 00:27:55,777 And they were just jammed, it was full of, 533 00:27:56,847 --> 00:27:58,331 full of people celebrating. 534 00:27:58,331 --> 00:27:59,781 The streets were full. 535 00:27:59,781 --> 00:28:01,334 So I said, "To heck with it, I'll go home 536 00:28:01,334 --> 00:28:03,509 "and go to bed and have a good night's sleep." 537 00:28:03,509 --> 00:28:06,098 First bed I'd been in for five years. 538 00:28:06,098 --> 00:28:10,965 We got to Paris and then I got stamped and deloused. 539 00:28:12,311 --> 00:28:13,415 And all that sort of stuff. 540 00:28:13,415 --> 00:28:15,521 And I was under control. 541 00:28:15,521 --> 00:28:18,800 See, before, I was just wondering around 542 00:28:18,800 --> 00:28:20,906 doing what I wanted to do. 543 00:28:20,906 --> 00:28:21,734 And, uh, 544 00:28:22,631 --> 00:28:25,220 but after we got to Paris. 545 00:28:25,220 --> 00:28:27,498 And then I was sent to a... 546 00:28:27,498 --> 00:28:28,327 We had 547 00:28:29,777 --> 00:28:32,400 repatriation camps for prisoners of war. 548 00:28:32,400 --> 00:28:35,265 They were called Lucky Strike, Chesterfield, 549 00:28:35,265 --> 00:28:37,612 all named after cigarette brands. 550 00:28:37,612 --> 00:28:39,407 And I went to Camp Lucky Strike, 551 00:28:41,478 --> 00:28:42,306 waiting for, 552 00:28:43,342 --> 00:28:45,068 to go back home. 553 00:28:45,068 --> 00:28:47,208 And I bumped into a buddy of mine 554 00:28:47,208 --> 00:28:50,521 that was shot down about three months earlier than me. 555 00:28:50,521 --> 00:28:53,110 So we decided to go AWOL 556 00:28:53,110 --> 00:28:54,871 and hop a ride back to England 557 00:28:54,871 --> 00:28:56,010 and get back to the unit, 558 00:28:56,010 --> 00:28:57,597 thinking we'd be able to stay. 559 00:28:58,737 --> 00:29:01,463 The next day they sent me by transport to B... 560 00:29:02,741 --> 00:29:03,707 Brussels. 561 00:29:03,707 --> 00:29:06,261 There we were interrogated again 562 00:29:06,261 --> 00:29:08,160 and put into a hotel. 563 00:29:08,160 --> 00:29:08,988 And we had to, 564 00:29:08,988 --> 00:29:10,265 I got a new uniform. 565 00:29:11,819 --> 00:29:13,682 Khaki army jump battledress. 566 00:29:13,682 --> 00:29:15,167 And that was VE Night. 567 00:29:16,271 --> 00:29:18,377 And they gave us so much franks. 568 00:29:18,377 --> 00:29:20,759 And we went into town. 569 00:29:20,759 --> 00:29:22,519 And then went to the pictures, 570 00:29:22,519 --> 00:29:24,383 I saw "Arsenic and Old Lace" 571 00:29:24,383 --> 00:29:26,557 and when I came out, everybody was shouting for joy. 572 00:29:26,557 --> 00:29:27,489 It was VE Night. 573 00:29:28,421 --> 00:29:30,320 And we joined the celebrations. 574 00:29:30,320 --> 00:29:31,735 They deloused us. 575 00:29:33,461 --> 00:29:36,084 That's how we were received. 576 00:29:36,084 --> 00:29:38,777 They just grabbed us, deloused us, 577 00:29:38,777 --> 00:29:41,193 gave us fresh uniform, fed us, 578 00:29:41,193 --> 00:29:43,851 gave us our dog tags back again. 579 00:29:43,851 --> 00:29:45,887 Got us to the nearest airport 580 00:29:45,887 --> 00:29:47,406 on a lank, 581 00:29:47,406 --> 00:29:48,890 pilots saying standing up even. 582 00:29:48,890 --> 00:29:50,064 There were no seats. 583 00:29:50,064 --> 00:29:52,583 We were just into a lank. 584 00:29:52,583 --> 00:29:54,965 Landed in the Midlands. 585 00:29:54,965 --> 00:29:56,656 One night there. 586 00:29:56,656 --> 00:29:58,935 There was a hospital there, they checked us out. 587 00:29:58,935 --> 00:30:00,419 And then home. 588 00:30:01,972 --> 00:30:04,250 10 days I was home at me own home. 589 00:30:04,250 --> 00:30:06,321 Yeah, wonderful, fantastic. 590 00:30:06,321 --> 00:30:09,083 So we hopped a ride on a B-17. 591 00:30:09,083 --> 00:30:13,156 And, got back to England, made it up to Kings Cliffe. 592 00:30:13,156 --> 00:30:14,882 A big hello with everybody 593 00:30:14,882 --> 00:30:17,022 and telling our war stories 594 00:30:17,022 --> 00:30:19,507 and this sort of stuff. 595 00:30:19,507 --> 00:30:21,785 After about three days we were told, 596 00:30:21,785 --> 00:30:23,166 "You gotta go back. 597 00:30:25,202 --> 00:30:28,619 "You can't stay because you're labeled as a POW 598 00:30:28,619 --> 00:30:32,382 "and you have to go through the bureaucratic process 599 00:30:34,142 --> 00:30:35,454 "of a POW." 600 00:30:36,420 --> 00:30:38,526 So we went back to Lucky Strike. 601 00:30:38,526 --> 00:30:41,701 And I was out on the last convoy. 602 00:30:41,701 --> 00:30:45,153 I got back to the States on the 1st of June. 603 00:30:46,361 --> 00:30:49,433 And I got married on the 13th of June 604 00:30:49,433 --> 00:30:54,404 to my fiance, Josephine, who my aircraft was named after. 605 00:30:55,439 --> 00:30:56,233 Then, 606 00:30:57,717 --> 00:30:59,443 I had to get my mother's permission to get married 607 00:30:59,443 --> 00:31:01,135 because I hadn't turned 21 yet. 608 00:31:02,550 --> 00:31:04,448 [Narrator] The former prisoners were, of course, 609 00:31:04,448 --> 00:31:05,898 glad to be home. 610 00:31:05,898 --> 00:31:09,764 But they would need a period of adjustment to peace. 611 00:31:09,764 --> 00:31:12,180 Everyone was so glad to see me. 612 00:31:12,180 --> 00:31:13,941 It was just fantastic. 613 00:31:13,941 --> 00:31:17,116 And we had a big welcoming in Halifax. 614 00:31:17,116 --> 00:31:18,359 They made us, 615 00:31:18,359 --> 00:31:20,257 they took us down to the mayor's hall 616 00:31:22,915 --> 00:31:24,813 and made a big feast there. 617 00:31:24,813 --> 00:31:27,575 And we were welcomed home by the mayor 618 00:31:27,575 --> 00:31:28,507 and all the rest of them, 619 00:31:28,507 --> 00:31:29,749 they made a big fuss of us. 620 00:31:29,749 --> 00:31:30,578 Yeah. 621 00:31:32,787 --> 00:31:34,789 Yes, it was a good time. 622 00:31:34,789 --> 00:31:39,000 And I was glad to be on my own for a bit. 623 00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:40,657 A bit quiet, yeah, 624 00:31:40,657 --> 00:31:42,866 after prison camp. 625 00:31:42,866 --> 00:31:45,558 I'd really judge, I think, 626 00:31:45,558 --> 00:31:48,596 I found concentrating difficult. 627 00:31:48,596 --> 00:31:51,564 And I found my memory was poorer too 628 00:31:51,564 --> 00:31:53,083 for some time. 629 00:31:53,083 --> 00:31:56,776 So I'd had no responsibility for anything 630 00:31:56,776 --> 00:31:58,882 for four and a half years. 631 00:31:58,882 --> 00:32:01,609 I was taken prisoner, I was exactly 20 years of age. 632 00:32:01,609 --> 00:32:03,335 Now I was damn near 25. 633 00:32:04,923 --> 00:32:06,372 And I was still 20 years old. 634 00:32:08,892 --> 00:32:11,964 Because I had no experience of the world. 635 00:32:13,103 --> 00:32:17,073 So, yes, I did have some trouble adjusting. 636 00:32:18,212 --> 00:32:20,110 [Narrator] VE Day meant different things 637 00:32:20,110 --> 00:32:21,663 to different people. 638 00:32:21,663 --> 00:32:25,219 For some, especially for those in the Armed Services, 639 00:32:25,219 --> 00:32:28,256 it was the relief that they had survived. 640 00:32:28,256 --> 00:32:30,327 For others, it meant the resumption 641 00:32:30,327 --> 00:32:32,536 of the normality of daily life 642 00:32:32,536 --> 00:32:34,814 without the fear of being attacked. 643 00:32:37,956 --> 00:32:39,854 We were glad it was over 644 00:32:39,854 --> 00:32:41,407 for all sorts of reasons. 645 00:32:42,443 --> 00:32:43,237 And... 646 00:32:45,791 --> 00:32:48,104 relieved, I suppose, to be there. 647 00:32:48,104 --> 00:32:50,899 I mean, I had served right through, from day one. 648 00:32:52,694 --> 00:32:54,662 And so I was lucky, 649 00:32:54,662 --> 00:32:55,904 very, very lucky. 650 00:32:58,769 --> 00:33:02,256 Army had set up a sort of field kitchen 651 00:33:02,256 --> 00:33:05,190 and I had the most memorable meal of my life, 652 00:33:05,190 --> 00:33:07,675 white bread and jam and a cup of tea. 653 00:33:07,675 --> 00:33:08,572 Sweet tea. 654 00:33:10,436 --> 00:33:12,991 After three years, black German bread, 655 00:33:12,991 --> 00:33:14,993 that was memorable. 656 00:33:14,993 --> 00:33:17,823 All we did think of was food, of course. 657 00:33:17,823 --> 00:33:22,172 I can remember once they took us to a canteen where 658 00:33:23,622 --> 00:33:25,106 they were feeding us. 659 00:33:25,106 --> 00:33:27,488 And there was a long line, of course, marching up. 660 00:33:27,488 --> 00:33:29,593 And that line never stopped. 661 00:33:29,593 --> 00:33:31,940 It went on and on till all the food was gone. 662 00:33:31,940 --> 00:33:34,046 In the end I had to say, "I'm sorry, there's just no more. 663 00:33:34,046 --> 00:33:36,221 "You've eaten everything we've got." 664 00:33:36,221 --> 00:33:37,463 And it just kept, 665 00:33:37,463 --> 00:33:38,809 if you finished you went round again, you see. 666 00:33:38,809 --> 00:33:40,087 You went round and round. 667 00:33:41,226 --> 00:33:42,675 You were lucky if you got two helpings. 668 00:33:42,675 --> 00:33:44,539 But I always remember that. 669 00:33:44,539 --> 00:33:47,508 We just ate everything in sight. 670 00:33:48,612 --> 00:33:50,062 I spent three quarters of an hour 671 00:33:50,062 --> 00:33:51,857 standing under a hot shower 672 00:33:51,857 --> 00:33:55,309 'cause I hadn't had a bath in god knows when. 673 00:33:56,413 --> 00:33:57,621 And, 674 00:33:57,621 --> 00:33:58,898 and had a sleep. 675 00:33:58,898 --> 00:34:02,350 Then we were given travel warrants 676 00:34:02,350 --> 00:34:04,042 and so on and so forth. 677 00:34:05,836 --> 00:34:08,701 And clothes, did we get any clothes? 678 00:34:08,701 --> 00:34:10,117 Yeah, you must've been, 679 00:34:10,117 --> 00:34:12,188 you must've been given battledress, I think. 680 00:34:12,188 --> 00:34:13,672 I can't remember. 681 00:34:13,672 --> 00:34:15,536 Battledress and a kit bag. 682 00:34:15,536 --> 00:34:16,364 That's right. 683 00:34:17,365 --> 00:34:18,194 And, 684 00:34:19,609 --> 00:34:21,818 you had a travel warrant to go home. 685 00:34:21,818 --> 00:34:25,546 I remember looking forward to 686 00:34:25,546 --> 00:34:27,548 bananas coming. 687 00:34:27,548 --> 00:34:31,655 I had never eaten a banana until 688 00:34:31,655 --> 00:34:33,933 I was six or seven years old. 689 00:34:33,933 --> 00:34:37,282 And my mother came home triumphantly with this thing, 690 00:34:37,282 --> 00:34:38,421 unpeeled it for me. 691 00:34:38,421 --> 00:34:41,389 And I thought it was dreadful. 692 00:34:41,389 --> 00:34:45,152 I'd been really looking forward to it for years. 693 00:34:45,152 --> 00:34:46,808 A banana! 694 00:34:46,808 --> 00:34:48,224 From the Caribbean. 695 00:34:48,224 --> 00:34:51,986 And there was this thing without any taste whatsoever. 696 00:34:51,986 --> 00:34:55,093 [crowd cheering] 697 00:34:55,093 --> 00:34:56,956 [Narrator] For the crowds happily celebrating 698 00:34:56,956 --> 00:34:58,613 the victory in Europe, 699 00:34:58,613 --> 00:35:00,615 there was a cloud on the horizon. 700 00:35:01,823 --> 00:35:03,066 [poignant music] 701 00:35:03,066 --> 00:35:05,793 There were many for whom the Second World War 702 00:35:05,793 --> 00:35:07,795 was far from over. 703 00:35:07,795 --> 00:35:11,109 In the Far East, the war raged against Japan. 704 00:35:12,317 --> 00:35:14,457 Even as the parties in London and Paris 705 00:35:14,457 --> 00:35:16,321 continued into the night, 706 00:35:16,321 --> 00:35:19,289 US forces were locked in a deadly battle 707 00:35:19,289 --> 00:35:21,222 for the Island of Okinawa. 708 00:35:23,224 --> 00:35:25,468 It was to be one of the major battles 709 00:35:25,468 --> 00:35:28,126 of the Allies' Pacific Campaign. 710 00:35:28,126 --> 00:35:31,577 Because if the Americans succeeded in capturing it, 711 00:35:31,577 --> 00:35:33,821 they would have access to airfields, 712 00:35:33,821 --> 00:35:36,306 which were just over 300 miles 713 00:35:36,306 --> 00:35:38,446 from the Japanese home islands. 714 00:35:40,828 --> 00:35:43,279 For 82 days the battle raged 715 00:35:43,279 --> 00:35:44,866 as the Japanese defenders 716 00:35:44,866 --> 00:35:46,937 mounted a desperate resistance. 717 00:35:48,353 --> 00:35:51,597 Finally, on June the 22nd, the Japanese surrendered 718 00:35:51,597 --> 00:35:53,220 what little there was left. 719 00:35:53,220 --> 00:35:56,154 It seemed that the battle to defeat Japan 720 00:35:56,154 --> 00:35:58,121 was only going to be achieved 721 00:35:58,121 --> 00:36:00,848 by a monstrous cost in human lives. 722 00:36:02,125 --> 00:36:05,024 [gravel crunching] 723 00:36:05,024 --> 00:36:07,613 Britain and her allies were also fighting 724 00:36:07,613 --> 00:36:10,306 equally bitter battles in Burma. 725 00:36:10,306 --> 00:36:12,756 It looked like more forces were going to be needed 726 00:36:12,756 --> 00:36:14,689 to defeat the Japanese army. 727 00:36:18,659 --> 00:36:21,144 In the end, they were not needed. 728 00:36:21,144 --> 00:36:23,905 On August the 6th, a lone US bomber 729 00:36:23,905 --> 00:36:28,116 dropped an atomic bomb on the City of Hiroshima. 730 00:36:28,116 --> 00:36:29,532 Two days later, 731 00:36:29,532 --> 00:36:32,259 a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. 732 00:36:36,711 --> 00:36:40,025 At the same time, the Russians invaded Manchuria. 733 00:36:41,199 --> 00:36:43,511 Japan's resources were exhausted. 734 00:36:43,511 --> 00:36:45,789 And it's will to fight, crushed. 735 00:36:47,964 --> 00:36:50,863 On September the 2nd, Japan signed 736 00:36:50,863 --> 00:36:52,555 an unconditional surrender. 737 00:36:53,487 --> 00:36:55,868 The Second World War was over. 738 00:36:59,217 --> 00:37:02,323 Although the victory over Japan was celebrated 739 00:37:02,323 --> 00:37:05,844 the event was for many a more personal experience 740 00:37:05,844 --> 00:37:08,536 than the wild fervor of VE Day. 741 00:37:08,536 --> 00:37:10,711 [crowd cheering] 742 00:37:10,711 --> 00:37:13,231 I was wounded, of course. 743 00:37:13,231 --> 00:37:14,059 I'd very. 744 00:37:15,233 --> 00:37:17,821 But that was on the first day of peace. 745 00:37:17,821 --> 00:37:21,722 What happened was, I was tour expired on the 29th of June. 746 00:37:23,033 --> 00:37:27,072 But, getting out of Burma was difficult. 747 00:37:27,072 --> 00:37:30,075 So I was waiting for transport with my navigator 748 00:37:31,421 --> 00:37:33,527 and we were on the squadron for another two months 749 00:37:33,527 --> 00:37:35,598 waiting for a transport. 750 00:37:35,598 --> 00:37:39,498 So by this time the squad moved from Kinmagon 751 00:37:39,498 --> 00:37:43,261 to Hmawbi, which was in Rangoon, 752 00:37:43,261 --> 00:37:45,090 just north of Rangoon. 753 00:37:45,090 --> 00:37:46,160 And when we got there 754 00:37:47,644 --> 00:37:49,025 I mean, I wasn't doing anything, 755 00:37:49,025 --> 00:37:50,613 I wasn't flying anything. 756 00:37:50,613 --> 00:37:53,857 But the war ended with the atom bomb thing. 757 00:37:55,031 --> 00:37:58,345 And, of course, a big celebration in the mess. 758 00:37:58,345 --> 00:37:59,277 And... 759 00:38:03,867 --> 00:38:06,387 The non-drinkers, now I don't drink you see, 760 00:38:06,387 --> 00:38:09,114 there were five of us who didn't drink. 761 00:38:09,114 --> 00:38:11,530 When they start singing songs that, 762 00:38:11,530 --> 00:38:13,014 ah, it's 763 00:38:13,014 --> 00:38:14,084 boring. 764 00:38:14,084 --> 00:38:15,845 So we went back to our tents. 765 00:38:17,295 --> 00:38:19,607 And we, each of us, had a bomb thrown in the tent. 766 00:38:20,712 --> 00:38:21,885 What happened was, there was 767 00:38:21,885 --> 00:38:24,509 a raiding party of Japanese in the jungle. 768 00:38:24,509 --> 00:38:26,511 They didn't know the war was over. 769 00:38:26,511 --> 00:38:28,892 They attacked the airfield. 770 00:38:28,892 --> 00:38:30,860 They had damaged aircraft. 771 00:38:30,860 --> 00:38:33,103 And we had no defenses. 772 00:38:33,103 --> 00:38:36,831 They withdrew all arms on the first day 773 00:38:36,831 --> 00:38:40,352 because of the celebrations after the First World War, 774 00:38:40,352 --> 00:38:42,768 caused so many accidents 775 00:38:42,768 --> 00:38:45,323 that they withdrew all arms. 776 00:38:45,323 --> 00:38:47,566 So we were undefended. 777 00:38:47,566 --> 00:38:50,328 [poignant music] 778 00:38:51,570 --> 00:38:53,089 [Narrator] Meanwhile in Europe, 779 00:38:53,089 --> 00:38:56,679 there was the formidable task of building a lasting peace. 780 00:38:58,405 --> 00:38:59,923 The last days of the war 781 00:38:59,923 --> 00:39:02,616 had created millions of refugees 782 00:39:02,616 --> 00:39:06,792 as those that could, left their bombed out cities. 783 00:39:06,792 --> 00:39:08,898 The straggling groups of civilians 784 00:39:08,898 --> 00:39:11,279 burdened down by what they could carry, 785 00:39:11,279 --> 00:39:14,869 joined German soldiers on the roads heading west, 786 00:39:14,869 --> 00:39:18,045 desperate to escape the advancing Russian armies. 787 00:39:21,393 --> 00:39:23,775 Thousands of German prisoners of war 788 00:39:23,775 --> 00:39:26,225 were held in pens to be processed 789 00:39:26,225 --> 00:39:27,917 before they could be released. 790 00:39:29,090 --> 00:39:31,507 It had already been decided by the Allies 791 00:39:31,507 --> 00:39:33,060 that those responsible 792 00:39:33,060 --> 00:39:36,650 for some of the most appalling crimes in human history 793 00:39:36,650 --> 00:39:39,411 would be put on trial for their crimes. 794 00:39:40,378 --> 00:39:41,586 Not surprisingly, 795 00:39:41,586 --> 00:39:44,243 many tried to slip through in disguise. 796 00:39:47,108 --> 00:39:49,421 Children played amongst the ruins. 797 00:39:51,699 --> 00:39:53,529 Many had been badly traumatized 798 00:39:53,529 --> 00:39:54,806 by what they had seen. 799 00:39:58,913 --> 00:40:01,847 As so many able-bodied men were gone, 800 00:40:01,847 --> 00:40:04,505 it was left to the women and the old men 801 00:40:04,505 --> 00:40:07,059 to begin the grim task of rebuilding 802 00:40:07,059 --> 00:40:08,198 stone-by-stone. 803 00:40:09,579 --> 00:40:12,030 Although the Russians had captured Berlin, 804 00:40:12,030 --> 00:40:15,482 it was agreed that it would be divided into four zones, 805 00:40:15,482 --> 00:40:18,036 each under the control of the Americans, 806 00:40:18,036 --> 00:40:20,314 British, French and Russians. 807 00:40:27,079 --> 00:40:29,875 Montgomery and the 7th Armored Division 808 00:40:29,875 --> 00:40:31,498 was tasked with overseeing 809 00:40:31,498 --> 00:40:33,845 the reconstruction of the British sector. 810 00:40:35,294 --> 00:40:37,849 When they arrived at the beginning of July, 811 00:40:37,849 --> 00:40:39,885 even the battle-hardened veterans 812 00:40:39,885 --> 00:40:41,542 of the famous Desert Rats 813 00:40:41,542 --> 00:40:43,544 were shocked by what they found. 814 00:40:46,305 --> 00:40:48,687 The stench of death was everywhere. 815 00:40:48,687 --> 00:40:51,897 Below the rubble lay rotting corpses. 816 00:40:51,897 --> 00:40:54,900 The civilians had been reluctant to disturb anything 817 00:40:54,900 --> 00:40:56,902 in case they released disease. 818 00:40:58,145 --> 00:41:00,975 Building the peace was not going to be easy. 819 00:41:14,092 --> 00:41:16,646 [steady music] 820 00:41:18,441 --> 00:41:20,236 In Britain there was the challenge 821 00:41:20,236 --> 00:41:23,377 of not only rebuilding the physical damage of war, 822 00:41:23,377 --> 00:41:25,621 but also how to demobilize 823 00:41:25,621 --> 00:41:28,589 millions of servicemen and women. 824 00:41:28,589 --> 00:41:31,143 With over five million in uniform, 825 00:41:31,143 --> 00:41:33,111 a release program was devised 826 00:41:33,111 --> 00:41:35,354 that gave priority to age 827 00:41:35,354 --> 00:41:37,322 and the number of months served. 828 00:41:37,322 --> 00:41:39,048 There aren't gonna be some problems for me 829 00:41:39,048 --> 00:41:40,532 when I get out of E and O. 830 00:41:40,532 --> 00:41:41,844 -I'll say. -There's me job, 831 00:41:41,844 --> 00:41:43,362 I've grown out of the one I was in. 832 00:41:43,362 --> 00:41:44,571 Beside, I want a better one, 833 00:41:44,571 --> 00:41:46,193 now I've got a wife and kid to keep. 834 00:41:46,193 --> 00:41:47,505 -Well, there's an answer. -Well suppose 835 00:41:47,505 --> 00:41:49,679 that I start up on me own. 836 00:41:49,679 --> 00:41:51,578 A small shop or something like that. 837 00:41:51,578 --> 00:41:52,682 How would I go about it? 838 00:41:52,682 --> 00:41:54,339 -There's a-- -And the wife. 839 00:41:54,339 --> 00:41:55,996 She must be full of problems. 840 00:41:55,996 --> 00:41:57,584 What with trying to find a new house 841 00:41:57,584 --> 00:42:00,034 and making a claim for the old one that was blitzed 842 00:42:00,034 --> 00:42:01,449 and getting furniture. 843 00:42:01,449 --> 00:42:03,417 -Well there's a-- -And honestly pal 844 00:42:03,417 --> 00:42:04,798 I still don't know what I get 845 00:42:04,798 --> 00:42:06,903 -for my bit in this war. -Well listen, 846 00:42:06,903 --> 00:42:08,318 in Civvy Street now. 847 00:42:09,699 --> 00:42:11,114 Blow me, that's quick ain't it. 848 00:42:11,114 --> 00:42:13,772 [Narrator] There's a resettlement advice service 849 00:42:13,772 --> 00:42:14,877 in all areas. 850 00:42:14,877 --> 00:42:17,017 There's one in your district. 851 00:42:17,017 --> 00:42:18,881 This is what it looks like. 852 00:42:18,881 --> 00:42:20,607 It's run by the Ministry of Labor. 853 00:42:22,678 --> 00:42:24,300 This is what it's like inside. 854 00:42:26,923 --> 00:42:28,546 You can discuss your problems in private. 855 00:42:28,546 --> 00:42:31,549 [calm music] 856 00:42:31,549 --> 00:42:33,827 [Narrator] In the search for a lasting peace, 857 00:42:33,827 --> 00:42:36,692 delegates representing 50 countries 858 00:42:36,692 --> 00:42:39,004 had been meeting in San Francisco 859 00:42:39,004 --> 00:42:41,559 for the first United Nations Conference 860 00:42:41,559 --> 00:42:43,699 on International Organization. 861 00:42:44,941 --> 00:42:47,495 Their objective was to find a mechanism 862 00:42:47,495 --> 00:42:49,049 that could prevent wars, 863 00:42:49,049 --> 00:42:51,569 like the one the world was just emerging from. 864 00:42:53,225 --> 00:42:55,849 In the last six terrible years, 865 00:42:57,471 --> 00:42:59,956 unnumbered men have died 866 00:42:59,956 --> 00:43:02,441 to give humanity another chance; 867 00:43:04,582 --> 00:43:06,238 unnumbered men have died 868 00:43:07,446 --> 00:43:09,207 because they felt 869 00:43:09,207 --> 00:43:11,589 there was a job of work to be done. 870 00:43:12,693 --> 00:43:16,524 We too, have a job of work to do 871 00:43:16,524 --> 00:43:18,526 if we are not to fail these men. 872 00:43:19,907 --> 00:43:24,843 Let us do it with courage, modesty and dispatch. 873 00:43:25,603 --> 00:43:27,639 Let us do it now. 874 00:43:27,639 --> 00:43:30,815 [audience applauding] 875 00:43:31,988 --> 00:43:35,026 [Narrator] They agreed to a new UN Charter 876 00:43:35,026 --> 00:43:37,753 marking the birth of the United Nations. 877 00:43:40,618 --> 00:43:42,171 On June the 24th, 878 00:43:42,171 --> 00:43:45,726 two days before the United Nations Conference ended 879 00:43:45,726 --> 00:43:47,797 the Russians mounted the longest 880 00:43:47,797 --> 00:43:49,937 and largest military parade 881 00:43:49,937 --> 00:43:52,526 ever held in Moscow's Red Square. 882 00:43:52,526 --> 00:43:54,562 [crowd cheering] 883 00:43:54,562 --> 00:43:57,289 Over 40,000 Red Army soldiers 884 00:43:57,289 --> 00:44:00,776 and 1,850 military vehicles 885 00:44:00,776 --> 00:44:03,882 joined the parade that lasted over two hours. 886 00:44:08,024 --> 00:44:09,992 The Big Three Wartime Allies 887 00:44:09,992 --> 00:44:12,926 of Russia, Britain and the United States, 888 00:44:12,926 --> 00:44:15,791 met just one more time in Potsdam 889 00:44:15,791 --> 00:44:18,552 in July the 17th, 1945. 890 00:44:19,760 --> 00:44:22,521 Their objective was to reach an agreement 891 00:44:22,521 --> 00:44:26,042 as to how a post-war Germany might look. 892 00:44:26,042 --> 00:44:28,666 But the old chemistry that had seen them through 893 00:44:28,666 --> 00:44:31,254 previous conferences and disagreements 894 00:44:31,254 --> 00:44:32,600 was no longer there. 895 00:44:33,981 --> 00:44:36,604 Although they agreed to continue fighting as allies 896 00:44:36,604 --> 00:44:38,814 in the war against Japan, 897 00:44:38,814 --> 00:44:41,506 the lack of a common enemy in Europe 898 00:44:41,506 --> 00:44:43,370 meant that there was little consensus 899 00:44:43,370 --> 00:44:45,648 as to how to deal with Germany. 900 00:44:47,270 --> 00:44:49,583 It seemed as if the old mistakes 901 00:44:49,583 --> 00:44:51,240 of the Treaty of Versailles 902 00:44:51,240 --> 00:44:53,725 that marked the end of the First World War 903 00:44:53,725 --> 00:44:55,037 had been forgotten. 904 00:44:56,348 --> 00:44:57,833 They did agree, however, 905 00:44:57,833 --> 00:45:00,042 to redraw Germany's borders 906 00:45:00,042 --> 00:45:03,459 and divide the country up into four zones of control 907 00:45:03,459 --> 00:45:06,565 under the Russians, Americans, British 908 00:45:06,565 --> 00:45:07,532 and the French. 909 00:45:11,501 --> 00:45:14,988 Industrial capability was also limited 910 00:45:14,988 --> 00:45:18,716 as it was hoped that the country could rebuild its economy 911 00:45:18,716 --> 00:45:22,167 on a more ruralized and crafts model; 912 00:45:22,167 --> 00:45:24,514 a plan that was soon abandoned. 913 00:45:28,311 --> 00:45:30,486 By the summer of 1945, 914 00:45:30,486 --> 00:45:32,315 much had changed in Europe. 915 00:45:33,213 --> 00:45:35,180 Roosevelt had died in office, 916 00:45:35,180 --> 00:45:37,010 Churchill had been swept from power 917 00:45:37,010 --> 00:45:38,632 in the general election. 918 00:45:38,632 --> 00:45:41,704 Stalin was left to rule the roost. 919 00:45:41,704 --> 00:45:45,018 The old wartime alliances were starting to crumble. 920 00:45:45,018 --> 00:45:48,124 And a new world order was taking shape. 921 00:45:48,124 --> 00:45:51,162 The Cold War was about to begin. 922 00:45:51,162 --> 00:45:54,337 [marching band music] 923 00:46:00,033 --> 00:46:01,724 [Narrator] The split between the Allies 924 00:46:01,724 --> 00:46:03,208 led to controversy 925 00:46:03,208 --> 00:46:06,902 over Britain's last victory parade in 1946. 926 00:46:08,110 --> 00:46:09,663 The decision was taken 927 00:46:09,663 --> 00:46:12,804 to mark the end of the war against Germany and Japan 928 00:46:12,804 --> 00:46:15,358 with one final parade. 929 00:46:15,358 --> 00:46:18,154 All the countries that had fought alongside Britain 930 00:46:18,154 --> 00:46:21,571 were to be represented and duly honored. 931 00:46:21,571 --> 00:46:24,471 But the Poles were not invited. 932 00:46:24,471 --> 00:46:27,923 The date chosen was June the 8th, 1946. 933 00:46:27,923 --> 00:46:30,511 And thousands flocked to watch the parade. 934 00:46:34,757 --> 00:46:36,345 Well it was just general knowledge 935 00:46:36,345 --> 00:46:39,003 that there was going to be this huge parade. 936 00:46:39,003 --> 00:46:43,145 And we knew that it was going to be a mass attendance. 937 00:46:44,525 --> 00:46:47,528 So I had a friend I worked with at that time, 938 00:46:47,528 --> 00:46:49,461 David Packnall. 939 00:46:49,461 --> 00:46:52,810 And we decided that we'd stay out all night 940 00:46:52,810 --> 00:46:56,123 in order to get a prime position in the Mall 941 00:46:56,123 --> 00:46:57,780 to watch the parade. 942 00:46:57,780 --> 00:46:59,057 And we did that. 943 00:46:59,057 --> 00:47:00,921 [band music] 944 00:47:00,921 --> 00:47:02,440 [Narrator] The Victory Parade 945 00:47:02,440 --> 00:47:05,823 perhaps lacked the excitement of the VE Day celebrations. 946 00:47:07,134 --> 00:47:09,481 There wasn't the exuberance and spontaneity 947 00:47:09,481 --> 00:47:12,174 that had been the hallmark of events the year before. 948 00:47:14,866 --> 00:47:18,042 The parade itself went on and on and on. 949 00:47:18,042 --> 00:47:20,665 It was, seemed hours long. 950 00:47:20,665 --> 00:47:24,876 And I don't think we stayed to the end to be honest. 951 00:47:24,876 --> 00:47:27,637 But we went off then to find something to eat. 952 00:47:27,637 --> 00:47:30,192 [bright music] 953 00:47:31,849 --> 00:47:33,505 [Narrator] There had been time 954 00:47:33,505 --> 00:47:36,094 to reflect on the cost to Britain. 955 00:47:36,094 --> 00:47:37,785 And it was becoming clear 956 00:47:37,785 --> 00:47:40,202 that the cost had been very high, 957 00:47:40,202 --> 00:47:42,169 with very little to show for it. 958 00:47:43,274 --> 00:47:45,241 It would take Britain a long time 959 00:47:45,241 --> 00:47:47,105 to recover from victory. 960 00:47:47,105 --> 00:47:49,142 Almost as long as it would take the Germans 961 00:47:49,142 --> 00:47:50,522 to recover from defeat. 962 00:47:52,973 --> 00:47:54,975 But over one million people 963 00:47:54,975 --> 00:47:56,874 had packed the streets of London 964 00:47:56,874 --> 00:47:59,877 on May the 8th, 1945. 965 00:47:59,877 --> 00:48:02,086 For many it was just the sheer joy 966 00:48:02,086 --> 00:48:04,951 and relief that the war was, at least for them, 967 00:48:04,951 --> 00:48:06,193 finally over. 968 00:48:10,784 --> 00:48:15,271 There had been the sacrifices, fear and uncertainty. 969 00:48:15,271 --> 00:48:16,721 But they had survived. 970 00:48:17,584 --> 00:48:19,931 Whatever difficulties lay ahead 971 00:48:19,931 --> 00:48:23,072 they knew that Britain had done the right thing. 972 00:48:23,072 --> 00:48:26,006 It alone had held the moral leadership 973 00:48:26,006 --> 00:48:28,491 to stand up against the Nazis 974 00:48:28,491 --> 00:48:31,736 at a time when everyone else was willing to cave in. 975 00:48:39,778 --> 00:48:43,092 Some celebrating may have even found a moment 976 00:48:43,092 --> 00:48:45,992 to reflect on what the future might hold. 977 00:48:45,992 --> 00:48:48,063 That after two world wars, 978 00:48:48,063 --> 00:48:51,342 this time really had to be the last time.