On 8th May, Thetford will mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day – a poignant national moment commemorating eight decades since the end of World War II in Europe and the men and women who gave their lives for the freedoms we cherish today.
The day begins at 9am in the Market Place and culminates with the lighting of the national beacon at 9.30pm. Thetford artist Joey La Mèche has been commissioned to create a new mural for the town and will be painting throughout the evening. Local business, Warren, will light the beacon on the Mundford Road at 9.30pm.
In the evening the Guildhall open its doors and exhibits the stories collected by the Council about the war. The project ‘80 stories: Thetford’s Memories of the War’ will sit alongside an art installation created with local schools about the war. There will also be poems displayed written by school children who entered the Black Out Poetry Competition.
Although Thetford residents were interviewed as part of the 80 Stories project, many of the stories came from outside the town, particularly London, unsurprisingly considering the overspill project in the 1960s, and some were from people who lived or served in places such as Italy, Germany and France. The first-hand accounts were primarily from people who were children at the time. One recurring theme was the sound of war, especially the noise of the doodlebug bombs. Despite living in the shadow of the war, most of the interviewees spoke of times of happiness.
Many of the participants remembered the euphoria of the day, but said that they didn’t have street parties until later. A Victory Parade and Service was held in Thetford on 13th May 1945. However, the community would have been very conscious that the war continued in the Pacific, with many Thetfordian FEPOWs. It would be September before celebrations could really begin in the town.
Joyce, who was born in 1928 and worked as a teacher in the town for many years recalled how her family hosted two Italian Prisoners of War. She said her husband was in Germany on VE Day and saw for himself the distressing scenes of liberated prisoners from the concentration camps.
Patricia was 19 years old on VE Day. She worked alongside the famous test pilot Captain Eric Melrose ‘Winkle’ Brown at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough, and sat with him during the test flights of Lancaster bombers.
Stories from Thetford residents have been collected over the years can be found online. On the BBC WW2 People’s War website, John Sterne in an interview for Thetford Library and Ancient House Museum in 2005 recalled, “Tanks paraded the streets of Thetford on VE day. There was a Spitfire and a tank in the market square for 6d a ride. The next day I went to the American base in an army lorry and ate ice-cream for the first time.”
If you would like to share VE or VJ Day recollections to be included in the project contact: katebradley@thetfordtowncouncil.gov.uk
