Celebrations at St Paul’s, VE Day, 8 May 1945

This article is from Military History Matters issue 146

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In this image, St Paul’s Cathedral is dramatically illuminated on the night of VE Day, 8 May 1945, which marked the end of the Second World War in Europe.

Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece in central London had survived the war largely unscathed, despite the onslaught of the Blitz, which left much of the City devastated. Brightly lit up here after years of blackouts, with anti-aircraft searchlights creating a ‘V’ in the skies above, the building played a central role in the victory celebrations.

During the course of that day, 80 years ago, ten consecutive thanksgiving services were held there, with huge crowds of soldiers, office workers, shopkeepers, and families surging up the steps no sooner than the previous service had emptied.

During each of the gatherings, the Dean of St Paul’s read a message of thanksgiving and also called for prayers for those still fighting. It was a reminder that, although war in Europe had ended, it was to continue in the Far East and the Pacific, with many Allied soldiers still on active service or held prisoner in camps under terrible conditions.

Though undoubtedly a time of celebration – with dances and street parties taking place, and bonfires (which had been banned during the war) lit around the country – it was also a time of remembrance. The war in Europe had cost millions of lives and left a continent that needed to be rebuilt.

Winston Churchill, in his radio broadcast to the nation that day, reflected this sense of mixed emotions. ‘We may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing,’ he said, ‘but let us not forget for a moment the toil and efforts that lie ahead.’

Churchill later joined members of the Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to acknowledge the crowds that had gathered below. The two princesses, Elizabeth and Margaret, were allowed to leave the palace to join the celebrations, albeit anonymously.

By the evening, some 50,000 people had flooded Piccadilly Circus, with pubs and dance halls throughout the city staying open well into the night.

Two members of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) were responsible for illuminating the cathedral once darkness had descended. It was the ‘pleasantest job we have had’, one of them later recalled. ‘This was the day we had been waiting for.’