Commemorating VE | VJ Day 80 in Buckinghamshire

The announcement that the war had ended in Europe was broadcast to the British people over the radio late in the day on 7 May 1945. The BBC interrupted its scheduled programming with a news flash announcing that Victory in Europe Day would be a national holiday, to take place the following day (8 May). The 8 May 1945 saw celebrations all across the UK including a speech from the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, as well as the British Royal Family waving to cheering crowds from the balcony at Buckingham Palace, London. The news resulted in millions celebrating the end of the war, with street parties, dancing and singing across the country.

However, the Second World War was not over. The war in the Far East did not end until 15 August 1945 with VJ Day (Victory Over Japan). The news of VJ Day brought more celebrations across the United Kingdom and Allied nations. The signing of Japan’s surrender on 2 September 1945, on board the US battleship USS Missouri, brought the Second World War to its official close.

You can read more about the history of VE and VJ Day 1945 on the Imperial War Museum’s website.

• What You Need To Know About VE Day 8 May 1945
• VJ Day and the end of the Second World War | Imperial War Museums

In line with Buckinghamshire’s Armed Forces Covenant, the council will be commemorating the 80th anniversaries and supporting residents, organisations and community groups to recognise the anniversaries too.

Buckinghamshire Archives have taken images and resources from their collections to highlight how the county recognised VJ Day in 1945. Displayed on a banner, there will be newspaper articles, memos and posters from VJ Day celebrations across the county. The banner will be available to view in the county’s following libraries: High Wycombe, Aylesbury and Princes Risborough. It will also be in the retail unit of Friar’s Square Shopping Square and at The Gateway and Walton Street Council Offices.

For more information, follow @BucksArchives and @BucksLibraries on Facebook.

The official VE VJ Day 80 website has some great ideas of how to commemorate the 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day, including:

• Check out Our Shared Story - a collection of educational resources to support young people to engage with VE and VJ Day 80th commemorations, both inside and outside the classroom.
• Design and create your own VE and VJ Day decorations, such as colouring-in sheets, bunting and flags
• Join a local community group to plant flowers in communal gardens
• Discover and share your Second World War history
• Find and visit your local memorial

More information is available online including resources on how you can get involved in VE and VJ Day celebrations. You can also share your own local events with people in the county via the Bucks Online Directory.

There are also lots of ways you can commemorate VE/VJ Day at home.

• Enjoy a quintessentially British, garden picnic (weather dependent!) with those you live with. Make sure to include all the family favourites such as cucumber sandwiches and scones. (You could even have the age-old debate on how to pronounce “scone”.)
• Be inspired by life in the 1940s. A celebration isn’t a celebration without cake, so why not try and recreate some popular 1940s recipes? Or keep things simple and decorate cupcakes with red, white and blue icing. You could also learn the lyrics of popular 1940s songs, or create a VE/VJ Day 80 Spotify playlist to enjoy during your activities and celebrations.
• And of course, you can always tune in and watch coverage of the celebrations across the UK on TV.

Community celebrations nationally are led by the Together Coalition and funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and are part of the UK Government’s national programme to commemorate the 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day.

The 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day will be marked this year with a series of events and celebrations, that will share stories of the Second World War generation.

• National two-minute silence will be held at 12 noon on 15 August 2025 to honour the 80th anniversary of VJ Day
• To mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the war in the Far East, a service will take place at the National Memorial Arboretum. In partnership with the government, the Royal British Legion will lead the nation in honouring and remembering those who fought and died during the War in the Far East.
• Red Arrows will join historic Spitfire and Hurricane aircraft for flypast over national VJ Day 80 commemorations

Read more: National two-minute silence to mark VJ Day 80 - GOV.UK