Memories of VP Day 1945 from our Residents
* 15 August 2020 *
Saturday 15 August marked 75 years since the end of World War II. Our Lifestyle Staff spoke with many of our residents about that day and we bring you some of their memories.
Betty was a nurse and had served in New Guinea. She recalls:
“It was a very very happy day for everybody. I was on leave from the Heidelberg Hospital and I went home to see my family and on the way, everyone stopped you and expressed how happy they were. I thought of the girls I’d served in New Guinea with, plus my friend who was in a camp held by the Japanese and I hoped they’d got home safely.”
Ron served in the Navy in WWII. He remembers:
“I was on the way back – I’d been overseas for two years with the Royal Australian Navy and came back on leave and was on a troop train between Perth and Melbourne when peace in Europe was declared. We came back and joined the ship. Our ship got torpedoed there, Yankee troop ship, we got detailed off and escorted back home. I was on the way back from that little exercise to Melbourne when peace was declared and everyone on board was so happy. “
Lorna’s husband was a Lancaster bomber pilot who had been shot down over France – she didn’t know if he was alive. She tells us:
“It was a very important date for me because my husband was still in the air force. When they announced the war was over with Japan, everyone communicated in the street and it was a very very happy day. I can see us all congregating and walking down the main street, all singing and happy. No more bombs.”
Conrad served firstly in the army and later transferred to the Air Force:
“I was in London at the time and we were packing supplies for the war in Japan. We went to the kiosk… we sat down and chatted and later on we joined the festivities in the street. Crowds of people – some of them dancing – all sorts of things.”
Marie’s husband, Frank served in the army. She says:
“In the early hours of the morning, Frank’s dad was out with his shotgun firing it off down the street and telling everyone that the war was over and Frank was on his way home.
“Everybody was on the street and it was so exciting – we were all beside ourselves. The next day the whole town was alive and we had a big dance that night.
“…a little bitter-sweet for my family because my father’s two brothers didn’t come back.”
We are very grateful to our residents for sharing these precious and poignant memories with us. You can see our residents speaking on our FaceBook page.