0:00:02 > 0:00:06September 3rd, 1939, and families all over the country flock to their radios.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08'...no such undertaking has been received
0:00:08 > 0:00:15'and that consequently this country is at war with Germany.'
0:00:17 > 0:00:21In that brief moment, life in our country changed forever.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25World War II had begun, but victory wouldn't be assured by military might alone.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31The Blitz, evacuation, rationing, the loss of loved ones -
0:00:31 > 0:00:34the war on the home front meant that everyone had to do their bit.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39From the country's women who took on everything
0:00:39 > 0:00:42farming, factory work, even flying Spitfires -
0:00:42 > 0:00:47to the nation's auxiliary firemen who worked through the terror of countless air raids.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51This is the story of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53This is How We Won The War.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03I'm finishing my trip around the UK in the North West of England.
0:01:04 > 0:01:10On today's programme, I'll be down on the farm hearing how an army of women kept the nation fed.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14Picking smelly potatoes in November
0:01:14 > 0:01:21was a strange way to help the war effort, but it did.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24Discovering how feathered friends kept our airmen safe.
0:01:24 > 0:01:29Winkie getting back to Scotland was enough for that crew to be rescued.
0:01:29 > 0:01:34And finding out how entertainers kept up the morale of both troops and workers.
0:01:34 > 0:01:40Dean wanted to make sure that every service man and woman and in the end every civilian
0:01:40 > 0:01:42had a chance to be entertained,
0:01:42 > 0:01:46had a chance to put some of the black moments behind them.
0:01:54 > 0:02:00The North West is home to both bustling industrial cities and lush rural landscapes.
0:02:00 > 0:02:06A mixture of factories and farms in this region were to prove vital in our race to victory.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11My first stop today is deep in the heart of the Cheshire countryside.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13I'm keen to learn more about an army
0:02:13 > 0:02:15that endured often appalling conditions
0:02:15 > 0:02:18and long periods away from home and loved ones.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21An army that fought its battles here, on English soil.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24A Land Army.
0:02:26 > 0:02:33In 1939, as war broke out, Britain was importing up to 70% of its food.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37With Nazi U-Boats running a deadly campaign against supply ships,
0:02:37 > 0:02:41the Government had to do something to stop the nation starving.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45A work force established in World War I would be resurrected
0:02:45 > 0:02:49and some of them would work here at Tatton Park in Knutsford.
0:02:49 > 0:02:55Margaret Clark has a family connection with the Women's Land Army, formed in June 1939.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59Now Margaret, you had three aunts who were Land Girls, didn't you?
0:02:59 > 0:03:00Yes, that's right, yes.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04So you must have learnt quite a lot about life at the time and what was involved?
0:03:04 > 0:03:08Yes, well, they always said how lovely it was, you know?
0:03:08 > 0:03:12And how different it was from being girls in Liverpool
0:03:12 > 0:03:15to go suddenly into the country really.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19Many, like Margaret's aunts, would come from towns and cities.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22They'd be unfamiliar with country ways.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26Recruitment posters showed smiling women in glorious sunshine,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29but the reality often proved a shock to the system.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32'And although a picture of farming may look like a holiday,
0:03:32 > 0:03:36'believe me, it's one of the toughest war jobs there is,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39'calling for really hard and skilful work, all the year round.'
0:03:39 > 0:03:44There was one girl that came that my Auntie Mollie said she never did anything without her gloves on!
0:03:46 > 0:03:49Even picking strawberries, she kept her gloves on!
0:03:49 > 0:03:53The volunteers would work the land for around 48 hours a week,
0:03:53 > 0:03:56doing everything from milking cows to harvesting crops.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00Joy Pinder was 20 when she joined the Land Army.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02I was young.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06I was patriotic and you know, get out and do something
0:04:06 > 0:04:09and the Land Army was what I wanted to do.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13Given basic training in agricultural skills, women also received
0:04:13 > 0:04:18a manual to help them adapt to life in the countryside.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21But nothing could have prepared Joy for her first job as a Land Girl
0:04:21 > 0:04:24picking potatoes in a wind-swept November.
0:04:24 > 0:04:25It was back-breaking.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28But the worst part about it,
0:04:28 > 0:04:32there were piles and piles of rotting potatoes
0:04:32 > 0:04:36that we had to sort out and it was a horrible job.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41Then there were the farm animals to get to grips with.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46There was just this large horse and myself and a harrow.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49And it wouldn't go. And I felt lost.
0:04:49 > 0:04:56I thought, "There's this young lass, in a field and not a soul in sight and a stubborn horse!"
0:04:56 > 0:04:58But you just got on with it.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03In 1941, as more men left agriculture to fight on the front,
0:05:03 > 0:05:07conscription to the Land Army was introduced.
0:05:07 > 0:05:13By 1943, some 80,000 women were digging and ploughing in fields throughout Britain.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17Living arrangements were basic and homesickness was common,
0:05:17 > 0:05:22but if you were lucky, farmers would ensure the girls had some brighter moments.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26They would supply home-made cider which was quite a hoot really,
0:05:26 > 0:05:31but there were these stone circles
0:05:31 > 0:05:37that they chomped up and down the apples and made their own cider.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Which was good, it was very acceptable.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44But the only thing was, the sheep used it as a toilet as well.
0:05:44 > 0:05:49So that was all mixed up with the gorgeous cider we had.
0:05:49 > 0:05:54Throughout the War, the Land Girls ensured the nation had enough food to survive.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56And some would gain recognition.
0:05:57 > 0:06:03'800 girls had marched through the city and now all who had done more than six years' service
0:06:03 > 0:06:06'received special armbands from the Queen.'
0:06:06 > 0:06:13But it would take until 2008 for the army of 250,000 women to finally receive full acknowledgement,
0:06:13 > 0:06:17when the Government awarded them an official badge and certificate.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21I think without them, we'd have starved. Simple as that, really.
0:06:21 > 0:06:26Picking smelly potatoes in November
0:06:26 > 0:06:32was a strange way to help the war effort, but it did.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37I would have done the same thing all over again.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40The end of the War didn't mean the end of work.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43Many Land Girls continued to serve for another five years,
0:06:43 > 0:06:48until the Land Army itself was disbanded in 1950.
0:06:48 > 0:06:53Like so many other wartime occupations, they went about their task with a typical resolve
0:06:53 > 0:06:56and purpose that we should never lose sight of.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00COCKEREL CROWS
0:07:00 > 0:07:06In bolstering the numbers of Land Girls or troops, conscription was vital to our war effort,
0:07:06 > 0:07:09as the Government called on the country's people to do their bit.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13One enlisted group would face extreme danger.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17Often working behind enemy lines, they'd have to cover vast distances,
0:07:17 > 0:07:23at speeds of around 60mph, while battling electrical storms.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26Their missions would be carried out on a wing and a prayer.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36Britain had used pigeons in World War I.
0:07:36 > 0:07:41But while the Germans had maintained their fleet of birds during peacetime,
0:07:41 > 0:07:44our Government had disbanded its flock.
0:07:44 > 0:07:49Fanciers across the country would help Britain build a new troop of birds from scratch.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Peter Bryant's an expert on pigeons' wartime role.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54Pigeons were donated by really
0:07:54 > 0:07:58all types of people from right across the class spectrums -
0:07:58 > 0:08:00from lords and ladies to
0:08:00 > 0:08:05Fred Bloggs with a small loft at the bottom of his garden.
0:08:05 > 0:08:12Over 250,000 donated birds would soon be flying under the auspices of the National Pigeon Service.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15But that flying wouldn't always be under their own steam.
0:08:15 > 0:08:21Every World War II bomber aircraft and reconnaissance aircraft that left our shores carried two pigeons.
0:08:21 > 0:08:27If the aircraft then had to ditch into the sea, a message could be attached to its leg
0:08:27 > 0:08:29and hopefully the pigeon would get back to its base
0:08:29 > 0:08:33with the location so search and rescue could be sent out.
0:08:33 > 0:08:39In February 1942, when an RAF Beaufort Bomber ditched in the North Sea,
0:08:39 > 0:08:42the crew were forced to fall back on their feathered saviour.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45Pigeon Winkie was their only hope.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48As the crew struggled in freezing water,
0:08:48 > 0:08:53Winkie flew over 120 miles to her home in Broughty Ferry near Dundee.
0:08:53 > 0:08:58She arrived exhausted, but her owner alerted the RAF.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01Winkie getting back to Scotland was enough for that crew to be rescued.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07They held a dinner for Winkie in the officers' mess that night and Winkie attended.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12Winkie had saved four servicemen's lives
0:09:12 > 0:09:15and birds like her saved thousands more during the War.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18But pigeons weren't just flying on board our aircraft.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21With their natural homing ability, they were perfect for getting
0:09:21 > 0:09:24important intelligence back to Britain.
0:09:24 > 0:09:29The message would be written here, torn off,
0:09:29 > 0:09:37and one of those would be put on the spool of the message carrier and put on the pigeon's leg.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41And off the pigeon goes back to Blighty.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46Often the birds would be parachuted into occupied territory,
0:09:46 > 0:09:51where resistance fighters would use them to send key messages back to Britain.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55Now this is an actual World War II parachute,
0:09:55 > 0:09:57it's about the size of a lady's umbrella.
0:09:57 > 0:10:03As you can see, the parachute cord and a hessian sort of strap here
0:10:03 > 0:10:06and the pigeon container would actually fit in here.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13In three separate missions, one pigeon, Commando, brought back invaluable intelligence
0:10:13 > 0:10:20revealing the location of German troops, industrial sites and injured Allied soldiers.
0:10:20 > 0:10:26To ensure the pigeons had a safe passage home, birds of prey were culled along our coastlines,
0:10:26 > 0:10:30but the brave birds bringing messages back to base faced other dangers.
0:10:30 > 0:10:35The Germans attempted to shoot the pigeons out of the sky.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38They also had a hawk unit, so they were actually using
0:10:38 > 0:10:41birds of prey to take pigeons out of the sky as well.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44If pigeons arrived home injured, demand for their services meant
0:10:44 > 0:10:49they'd be simply be patched up and sent off on another mission.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52After the War, Dickin Medals were awarded to animals
0:10:52 > 0:10:55who'd shown courage and bravery in their war time service.
0:10:55 > 0:11:0032 went to pigeons, including Winkie and Commando.
0:11:00 > 0:11:05They really did make a major contribution to Britain's war effort.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09Absolutely fantastic contribution. Very much undersung.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18Two Lancashire-born entertainers,
0:11:18 > 0:11:21George Formby and Gracie Fields, to many, embodied
0:11:21 > 0:11:27the best of the North West a rich mixture of saucy humour and hard work.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32They were two skills that one organisation in particular would make very good use of
0:11:32 > 0:11:36as it took on one of the toughest challenges of the war keeping up morale.
0:11:38 > 0:11:44In 1939, the Government recognised our troops would need a distraction from the horrors of war.
0:11:44 > 0:11:49Theatre and film producer Basil Dean worked with others to come up with a morale-boosting solution
0:11:49 > 0:11:53the Entertainments National Service Association.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56Alan Grace has researched the ENSA story.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02Dean wanted to make sure that every service man and woman and in the end every civilian
0:12:02 > 0:12:04had a chance to be entertained,
0:12:04 > 0:12:08had a chance to put some of the black moments behind them.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12ENSA's first show was staged in Surrey,
0:12:12 > 0:12:13but soon the era's biggest stars
0:12:13 > 0:12:16like Tommy Trinder and Gracie Fields -
0:12:16 > 0:12:18were treading the boards further afield
0:12:18 > 0:12:22to sprinkle some showbiz glamour over our tired troops.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25'This is our second ENSA concert today.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28'We've already played to 3,000 people
0:12:28 > 0:12:32and here, somewhere I mustn't mention,
0:12:32 > 0:12:37'is a wonderful audience waiting for the most wonderful and delightful
0:12:37 > 0:12:38woman that's ever stepped,
0:12:38 > 0:12:41'Miss Gracie Fields - and here she is.'
0:12:41 > 0:12:43This is a most unusual recording,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46because it's Gracie Fields in November 1939, in France.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49# You're the whole world #
0:12:49 > 0:12:55# The whole world to me! #
0:12:57 > 0:13:01What it shows is not only Gracie at her best,
0:13:01 > 0:13:04but the reaction of the men who'd travelled quite some distance
0:13:04 > 0:13:06to come and hear her sing.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11Top talent was proving wildly popular, but impresario Basil
0:13:11 > 0:13:14worried that they weren't to everyone's tastes.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16There were people who loved drama,
0:13:16 > 0:13:20there were people who loved opera, or ballet or classical music
0:13:20 > 0:13:23and so he pushed forward the case there should be
0:13:23 > 0:13:27a possibility to bring these shows into the equation.
0:13:27 > 0:13:32One recruit that satisfied the aim of widening ENSA's appeal
0:13:32 > 0:13:34was cellist Pauline Leighton.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Like the majority of ENSA's casts,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40Pauline wasn't a celebrity, but a talented civilian.
0:13:40 > 0:13:45She signed up for ENSA in 1941 as part of a classical quartet.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49They'd never had an all-girls little group before.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53They'd had a comedian, a squeezebox, a singer
0:13:53 > 0:13:58and a pianist, or something or a conjurer or something,
0:13:58 > 0:14:04but never a group like ours, so we were rather unique when we started.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07Pauline and her colleagues were soon flown off
0:14:07 > 0:14:10to far-flung battle hot spots like Algiers,
0:14:10 > 0:14:14sharing the bill with an eclectic assortment of artistes.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17Tommy Trinder kept coming on when he shouldn't.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19I was used as a stooge.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22And he said, "My aunt used to play the cello,
0:14:22 > 0:14:25"but she was a lady - she played it side-saddle!"
0:14:27 > 0:14:29Which made them laugh.
0:14:30 > 0:14:35ENSA's entertainers were kept busy right around the world.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39In one month alone, the organisation brought up the curtain on 8,500 shows.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42And those shows weren't just limited to the stage -
0:14:42 > 0:14:47comedian Stainless Stephen went AWOL from a show in the Far East.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50A report came back from the front line, "We've got a chap here,
0:14:50 > 0:14:53"who's an entertainer, who's hopping from foxhole to foxhole
0:14:53 > 0:14:57"to put on a little entertainment for the boys in the foxhole."
0:14:57 > 0:15:00But then, he made what could have been a fatal mistake.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03He saw some more troops in the distance. He was just about to get up and go across,
0:15:03 > 0:15:07and he was pulled back because they were Japanese troops.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10So he was prepared to get up close to where it hurt,
0:15:10 > 0:15:14and you'll find this time and time again with the ENSA parties.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17Danger wasn't all ENSA performers had to endure.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19Camp conditions were about as far as you could get
0:15:19 > 0:15:23from the luxuries of backstage dressing rooms back home.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26There were stories of rats running across stages,
0:15:26 > 0:15:29rats running across the feet of the audience.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33Stories of cockroaches everywhere, of electricity that didn't work,
0:15:33 > 0:15:37of having to put your make-up on by starlight or moonlight
0:15:37 > 0:15:39because there was no electricity.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43Despite the conditions, ENSA was working magic,
0:15:43 > 0:15:47keeping up morale amongst our battle-weary troops.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Now Basil Dean turned his attention to raising the spirits
0:15:49 > 0:15:52of wartime factory workers.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55What Dean wanted to do was give them something, even if it was only
0:15:55 > 0:15:58for half an hour, to take their minds away from the tragedies
0:15:58 > 0:16:01which were happening overseas, and just give them a little boost.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04Soon, ENSA performers were unpacking instruments
0:16:04 > 0:16:07in factory canteens across the country.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10While shift workers ate their main hot meal,
0:16:10 > 0:16:12at midday and midnight, performers like Pauline put on a show.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14It was amazing, the atmosphere,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17because they hurried over getting their meals, and they were as quiet
0:16:17 > 0:16:20as anything when we were playing. The applause was incredible.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:16:22 > 0:16:24But would Basil's idea work today?
0:16:25 > 0:16:30This BAE Systems facility in Lancashire builds advanced aircraft
0:16:30 > 0:16:32like the Eurofighter Typhoon.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34But 70 years ago, Hampden
0:16:34 > 0:16:38and Halifax bombers were flying from factories on this very site.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41'It's precisely the kind of place that would have
0:16:41 > 0:16:45'welcomed entertainers like this String Quartet.'
0:16:45 > 0:16:48Well, ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for letting us
0:16:48 > 0:16:50interrupt your hard-earned lunch.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53We'd like to take you back to the 1940s,
0:16:53 > 0:16:56and your very own ENSA performance.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00MUSIC: "Hungarian Dance No. 5" by Johannes Brahms
0:17:17 > 0:17:20I thought it was very different from what we normally hear at dinner time,
0:17:20 > 0:17:23coming in to the canteen, but, yeah, very impressive.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27To come out and get something like that in your dinner hour for five
0:17:27 > 0:17:31or 15 minutes or so, excellent, great. Great, great thing to do.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34ENSA events created light moments
0:17:34 > 0:17:37amongst the darkness of war for our troops and workers.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40And we decided we should do something special for Pauline
0:17:40 > 0:17:42to repay her efforts in the war years.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45MUSIC: "Cello Suite No.1" by Johann Sebastian Bach
0:18:17 > 0:18:19- Bravo! Well done! - APPLAUSE
0:18:21 > 0:18:26From September, 1939 to March, 1946,
0:18:26 > 0:18:30ENSA staged a staggering 2½ million live or film-based shows,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33reaching 300 million people.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36It was an organisation sometimes stretched,
0:18:36 > 0:18:40leading to claims its initials really stood for "Every Night Something Awful",
0:18:40 > 0:18:43but the effect the men and women of ENSA casts across the world
0:18:43 > 0:18:46had on our morale is incalculable.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58There was one piece of news everyone in Britain wanted to hear
0:18:58 > 0:19:02throughout the war, an announcement that would change everything.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05John Greenwood, from Manchester, recorded his wait for the news
0:19:05 > 0:19:09as part of his contribution to the Mass Observation project.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13A collection of almost 300,000 pages of personal diaries,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16like John's, are held at the University of Sussex.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Wednesday, May 2nd, 1945.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23The news this morning is very full of Hitler's death.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26People are not apparently convinced.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30Quite a number of people hope it's true, but require further evidence.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32Monday, 7th May.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36Excitement grew more and more. Then the evening news came in, and there
0:19:36 > 0:19:41it was in black and white, "Germans Sign Unconditional Surrender Terms".
0:19:41 > 0:19:45"War in Europe Ended".
0:19:45 > 0:19:47People were putting out flags and buntings.
0:19:47 > 0:19:4960% of the Jacks were upside down.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54Soon after, Stan rang up asking how did I interpret the news?
0:19:54 > 0:19:58I said I took that tomorrow and the day afterwards were public holidays.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00He thought that the affair was falling rather flat,
0:20:00 > 0:20:03and people did not understand what to do.
0:20:03 > 0:20:08I said, I, at any rate, understood it to be a holiday.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14I'm finishing my journey in Liverpool.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17The city's strategic position on Britain's west coast made it
0:20:17 > 0:20:20one of the most important ports in the country.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24So when victory in Europe was finally declared,
0:20:24 > 0:20:28as you can imagine, the people of this city embraced it warmly.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33By May of 1945, Liverpool was a beaten-up city,
0:20:33 > 0:20:36but it wasn't a beaten one.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39It had suffered greatly in the war, both in casualties
0:20:39 > 0:20:40and property damage.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42It was harsh, it was difficult.
0:20:42 > 0:20:48Morale was not low, but it had taken a serious battering.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52On the afternoon of the 7th of May, 1945,
0:20:52 > 0:20:55Germany's unconditional surrender was signed.
0:20:55 > 0:21:00Later that day, the BBC interrupted normal programming for a short statement.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02BELL TOLLS
0:21:02 > 0:21:05ANNOUNCER: This is the BBC Home Service.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09We're interrupting programmes to make the following announcement.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11It is understood that in accordance with
0:21:11 > 0:21:15arrangements between the three great powers, an official announcement
0:21:15 > 0:21:21will be broadcast by the Prime Minister at 3 o'clock tomorrow.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24Six years of bloodshed, which had seen nearly half a million
0:21:24 > 0:21:27British lives lost, had finally come to an end.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29Loved ones would soon be home.
0:21:29 > 0:21:34The country would be free from the dark nights of blackouts and the constant threat of bombing.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38Liverpudlians breathed a collective sigh of relief
0:21:38 > 0:21:42and flocked to St George's Hall for a celebration like no other.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46We walked into Oxford Street. Millions of people were just
0:21:46 > 0:21:51walking down and knowing that they were going to St George's Hall.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55And the next thing, the crowds are coming down. A man comes along,
0:21:55 > 0:22:00he's got a frying pan with a sausage still stuck in the fat, banging it with a spoon!
0:22:00 > 0:22:02- HE LAUGHS - This is God's truth.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04And we went down there and the
0:22:04 > 0:22:07excitement was just wonderful.
0:22:07 > 0:22:08People danced with somebody else,
0:22:08 > 0:22:11you'd turn round to somebody else, people were singing,
0:22:11 > 0:22:15other people were banging things. It was just wonderful.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19And the ships' sirens were going, and hooters were going.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22It was just euphoria, it really was.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24I do remember the Army,
0:22:24 > 0:22:26the boys from the hospital
0:22:26 > 0:22:28walking down from Broad Green,
0:22:28 > 0:22:30and we had as much food
0:22:30 > 0:22:35as we could lay our hands on, and miraculously, some did have drink.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37But we had a little fire,
0:22:37 > 0:22:42and the most magnificent sight of all was darkness came,
0:22:42 > 0:22:47and everybody lit their lights, and opened the windows.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50People were on windowsills, people were on top of buildings.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54The police were letting people do pretty much what they liked,
0:22:54 > 0:22:56as long as there was no damage incurred.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58It was...
0:22:58 > 0:23:02spontaneous singing breaking out, cheers breaking out.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06The next day, VE Day, the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill,
0:23:06 > 0:23:10took to the airwaves to address a hushed nation.
0:23:10 > 0:23:15We may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21But let us not forget for a moment the toils and efforts that lie ahead.
0:23:23 > 0:23:28Japan, with all her treachery and greed, remains un-subdued.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32We must now devote all our strength
0:23:32 > 0:23:36and resources to the completion of our task,
0:23:36 > 0:23:39both at home and abroad.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42Advance Britannia! CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:23:42 > 0:23:46Churchill's broadcast was met with spontaneous applause.
0:23:46 > 0:23:51VE Day saw outbreaks of complete elation and total celebration.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55War-weary Britain was finally getting a taste of victory.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59And, as the stories we've heard throughout this series demonstrate,
0:23:59 > 0:24:01that victory had been achieved by the efforts
0:24:01 > 0:24:04and sacrifices of individuals all over the country.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10The shrapnel came through the park and went through my back.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13He said he thought he was going to lose me,
0:24:13 > 0:24:19and I didn't think I would live myself, so I prepared myself to die.
0:24:21 > 0:24:27They had real steel and grit, and something that did set them aside.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29I think they really were "The Few".
0:24:30 > 0:24:34- I'm very proud of him. - SHE SOBS
0:24:35 > 0:24:40Let us remember before God, and commend to his sure keeping,
0:24:40 > 0:24:44Reginald and all those who died for their country in war.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51She went onto the bridge which goes over the platforms,
0:24:51 > 0:24:54and there's a huge pile of rubble and somebody said, "I'm sorry,
0:24:54 > 0:24:56"I'm afraid Billy's under there."
0:24:59 > 0:25:02She'd had a telegram saying he'd been killed in action.
0:25:02 > 0:25:03And that's how we heard it.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05That was the worst day of evacuation.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10They had the skills, but more than that, they were rescuing
0:25:10 > 0:25:14their own neighbours, their own friends, their own community.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18It seemed impossible at the time...
0:25:20 > 0:25:22..but, you know,
0:25:22 > 0:25:27we succeeded and we showed the men a thing or two.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30But of all the astonishing stories of sacrifice and determination
0:25:30 > 0:25:32I've heard during this journey,
0:25:32 > 0:25:36it's the memories of VE Day that mean so much.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40For those actually there, VE Day marked the beginning of the end.
0:25:40 > 0:25:45It was a day unlike any other and one they'll never forget.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48The great day came, VE Day, Victory in Europe.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53And I don't think I would have wanted to be anywhere else
0:25:53 > 0:25:54but in London on that day.
0:25:54 > 0:26:01It was fantastic - the crowds, the cheering, the flags.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05We just went into this...
0:26:05 > 0:26:08magic city that was alive.
0:26:08 > 0:26:13And I've never seen so many people, anywhere.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16And everyone was laughing
0:26:16 > 0:26:21and doing the Lambeth Walk all along,
0:26:21 > 0:26:25and plenty of drinks going along, and people who'd got them
0:26:25 > 0:26:27were sharing them with others.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32And there was bottles being passed. "Have a drink, love,"
0:26:32 > 0:26:33"You deserve it, love."
0:26:36 > 0:26:38"Will we?" "Yes, come on, we're off duty now."
0:26:38 > 0:26:40SHE LAUGHS
0:26:41 > 0:26:45We were singing songs and shouting,
0:26:45 > 0:26:49and just generally tremendous excitement, really.
0:26:49 > 0:26:54And then, eventually, gradually, we all worked our way down to the beach,
0:26:54 > 0:26:57and I regret to say we burnt the deckchairs!
0:26:57 > 0:26:59SHE LAUGHS
0:26:59 > 0:27:03We had a great big singsong, and we walked along to Downing Street,
0:27:03 > 0:27:08cos we heard Churchill was there, and waiting till he came out,
0:27:08 > 0:27:13and then a group of us were quite near his car, so when he got in,
0:27:13 > 0:27:19we clambered on the back, and we had a ride down to Buckingham Palace.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23I managed to get right to the front...
0:27:25 > 0:27:29..of where the railings are, and so,
0:27:29 > 0:27:35all the shouting and cheering, "We want the King! We want the King!"
0:27:36 > 0:27:40Flags were flying and the Royal Family all came out on the balcony,
0:27:40 > 0:27:45and you stood there, and cheered until they came out again.
0:27:45 > 0:27:46And you felt proud to be British.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:27:48 > 0:27:52The King stepped back and brought out Churchill.
0:27:52 > 0:27:53And the crowd went mad.
0:27:55 > 0:28:01We were selected to illuminate St Paul's Cathedral on VE night.
0:28:01 > 0:28:07And we never, ever thought that the picture that has been famous since...
0:28:07 > 0:28:09we were part of it, that night.