Explore how villages near Hexham joyfully celebrated VE Day in May 1945, marking the end of World War II.
Villages near Hexham showed red, white, and blue flags. Many attended Thanksgiving services, which took place at Hexham Abbey, and nearby churches also held services. Jubilant celebrations happened across the area.
Pubs could open until 11:30 PM on May 8th, although many closed early that night because they had run out of drinks.
A funeral procession went through Great Whittington for peace. People wanted to bury the war’s evils. They wore bowler hats and frocks and lined the streets.
The “Hitler’s Funeral” pageant started hope, and one villager longed for normal life, hoping soldiers would return home soon.
The PM’s announcement played on a loudspeaker at Hexham Abbey’s bandstand. Abbey bells rang out with victory.
A local MP turned on Big Ben’s light. Colonel Douglas Clifton Brown did this; the light stayed off during the war, off for over five years.
A Hexham soldier came home. Lance-Corporal George Clark walked from Poland, trekking over 530 miles, and he lost much weight during this trip.
Clark became a prisoner in 1942. They held him in Italy for one year. Then, guards moved him to a German camp. He remembered loud cheering when American forces freed the camp.