Year 3 – Friday 8th May 2020 – VE Day Celebrations
Hello Year 3!
Today is going to be slightly different on the blog because it is VE Day and a bank holiday.
There will be no home learning tasks today.
Instead, we have put some fun activities below for you to have a go at.
What is VE Day?
VE Day – or ‘Victory in Europe Day’ – marks the day towards the end of World War Two (WW2) when fighting against Nazi Germany in Europe came to an end.
On 8 May 1945, Prime Minister Winston Churchill made an announcement on the radio at 3pm that the war in Europe had come to an end, following Germany’s surrender the day before.
How was VE Day celebrated?
By the beginning of 1945, the German army had been weakened and defeat looked likely.
Tuesday 8 May, 1945, was an emotional day that millions of people had been waiting for.
Many people were extremely happy that the fighting had stopped and there were big celebrations and street parties.
Huge crowds – with lots of people dressed in red, white and blue – gathered outside Buckingham Palace in London.
They cheered as King George VI and his family, including Princess Elizabeth (the current queen) and Princess Margaret, came out onto the balcony to greet everybody.
Princess Elizabeth and her sister were allowed to leave the palace and celebrate with crowds outside, although they had to do it secretly.
The future Queen described it as “one of the most memorable nights of my life”.
Many people also attended church services to thank God for the victory.
London’s St Paul’s Cathedral held 10 services, which were attended by thousands of people.
But VE Day was also a moment of great sadness and reflection, as millions of people had lost their lives or loved ones in the conflict.
Many had to continue fighting in other battles and lots of people were being kept as prisoners of war abroad.
This year…
This year will be different. People across the country are celebrating and remembering in different ways. Why not join in today?
Here are some of the things that will be happening throughout the day on TV:
- 11am | BBC One | The Nation Remembers BBC One will lead a poignant two-minute silence to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
- 2.45pm | BBC One | The Announcement of Victory Winston Churchill’s historic speech will also be broadcast – providing a fascinating insight into what the public will have heard on that significant day all those years ago.
- 8pm | BBC One | The People’s Celebration Viewers can also tune in to a special programme on VE Day on BBC One, which will see some of the UK’s biggest stars, sing a rendition of the iconic ‘We’ll Meet Again’, by Vera Lynn. Throughout the show, we will hear from the real stars of the night, the people who still remember that historic evening and can tell us what it was like, first hand.
- 9pm | BBC One | The Queen’s speech: The Queen herself will be giving a special address to the nation , which is the exact same time that her father, King George VI, spoke to the UK 75 years ago, on the actual VE Day.
What about designing your own VE Day tea cup?
Have a go at a VE Day word search:
If you’ve got some baking ingredients at home, have a go at some of these VE Day recipes:
Have a go at decorating your house or bedroom with some bunting:
We hope you have a lovely VE Day and a lovely weekend and look forward to hearing from you all next week.
Mrs Beckwith, Miss Lindop, Miss Barden and Miss Wilmer