* Excerpts from a letter written by my Nannie, a private with the CWAC. Just years ago she still hated air shows because they reminded her of wartime. I used to be sure to call her every Remembrance Day, as she was watching the ceremony on TV. She died while we were in Korea. Surely she would have loved to hear Harper having the loudest set of hiccups during the moment of silence. * V + 1 Day - May 9th, 1945. Dont know quite where or how to start this letter to you as I feel so happy and excited. I tried my darnedest to cable all of you yesterday. You must have known that we were thinking of you every minute yesterday and it sure would have been nice to celebrate with you. Quiet old England has just gone mad with joy, and Im not kidding. We reported in to work at 9 and were given the day off...and what a day.The weather was really good, and the decorations and flags are really a picture. Ive never really experienced anything like this before. The English man certainly forgot all his dignity and reserve and everything else yesterday and just went into celebrating with every ounce of strength they had got. We went back to barracks for lunch as everywhere that was open was so crowded we wouldnt have got in anywhere without a heck of a long wait. We really had a swell dinner, too (ham and egg - REAL egg!), beets, potatoes, and stewed fruit. We didnt waste any time eating though, believe me, as we were so excited and wanted to get around and see everything. We walked all down Oxford Street to Oxford Circus amid streamers and confetti and hundreds of people all wearing fancy hats and badges and ribbons and everyone was singing and dancing and blowing whistles and goodness knows what all they werent doing. The soldiers were trying to climb up the posts and all the crowd was cheering them. Finally one soldier made it and everyone clapped and shouted so he climbed still further up and posed right on the top, just like an angel or something. Everyone by that time was just screaming and singing, Theyll always be an England. Then he helped nine or so others up and one girl was among them and all on the top of the wall proceeded to kiss her. It was all really very funny. The poor bus drivers had an awful time trying to move and only made about one inch at a time. We saw the Prime Minister speak and he came within four feet of me. I yelled, Hello Winnie! so he said, Hiya, Vi! (What am I saying?) He looked very tired but so happy as he puffed away at his cigar. People were fainting 10 a minute and its no wonder as there were thousands of people there. The King, Queen, and two princesses came out at 10 oclock and the crowd went mad, throwing hats and flags high in the air. They were all waving and singing, For Hes a Jolly Good Fellow. There were parades and about 1,000 people from the east end with toilet signs they had torn down along the way and some had garbage lids and whistles and oh, the noises and hustle and cockney tongues. Boys were up lamp posts and girls were kissing the policemen and they werent resisting at all (after all, how could they?) They looked so bewildered and werent objecting to a darn thing. There were thousands sleeping in the park, and liking it, too. Were we ever tired, oh boy, oh boy. I couldnt ever really explain the greatness of it. I feel nearly dead with tiredness, but after all, therell never be another celebration like this so we must make the most of it, eh?
Posted on: Tue, 12 Nov 2013 01:36:11 +0000
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