this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the queen is to lead tributes to those who fought in the second world war — 75 years to the day since sir winston churchill announced victory in europe. this is your victory. in all our long history, we have never seen a greater day than this. cheering.

the red arrows will fly over london in the next 10 minutes, and modern raf typhoonjets will appear overhead in edinburgh, cardiff and belfast. this is the scene live in paris where president macron will lead a minute's silence. as events take place at home and online to pay tribute, uk ministers urge the public to maintain the coronavirus lockdown. fundraising hero, captain tom joins the veterans remembering the part they played in a key moment in our history. it was going well here, but they were still out there, risking their lives and battling on, as they always did.

welcome to viewers in the uk and around the world as the 75th anniversary of ve day is marked. iam i am annita mcveigh. queen elizabeth, the prince of wales and the uk prime minister will mark the moment when nazi germany surrendered to allied forces and the second world war in europe was declared over. in berlin, chancellor merkel will lay a wreath at germany's central war memorial. in paris, they're holding a minute's silence, then president macron will lead a small ceremony at the arc de triomphe. commemorations in the uk have been adapted to reflect social distancing measures — but people are still being encouraged to celebrate safely at home. our correspondent robert hall has this report. to those who were there,

it seems a lifetime ago, but the scenes they witnessed on that spring day in 1945 have never left them. a tidal wave of euphoria and excitement filling the city streets to overflowing, and reaching every corner of the british isles. archive: in an old and tattered tent, there occurred the greatest battlefield surrender of this or any other war. the instrument of germany's unconditional surrender was signed. the fighting in europe had effectively been over for several days — since the first surrender documents had been signed. but for millions of people, this was the moment to begin a party that would last through the night. we had quite good celebrations — about a dozen of us there, i would suppose. and we had a barrel of red wine on the end of the lorry and a barrel of white

wine, and our pint mugs from the army and we enjoyed the evening very much. bill ridgewell served throughout europe with the royal electrical and mechanical engineers. he says ve day is still an important event on his calendar. and to celebrate it now, we must learn that that must never happen again. the waste of material, of lives and of innocence through the war was tremendous. it's just a pure waste, is warfare. but how different it will be 75 years on — no flags, no parties, no crowds. just a call for us all to mark this momentous day however we can. all of us who were born since 1945 are acutely conscious that we owe everything we most value to the generation who won the second world war. and we remember the millions

of people from across the united kingdom and from across the world who came together in world war ii to fight for our shared values. values of freedom, of democracy, of peace. covid—i9 has shredded elaborate plans drawn up for cities, towns and villages. five years ago on the 70th anniversary, thousands of us joined acts of remembrance, sat down for street celebrations or lit beacons. we are celebrating ve day because it's the 75th anniversary. in 2020, we can't gather together in the way we used to but lockdown has taught us all to adapt, so the bunting's going up in our homes, gardens and streets. even those shielded from the pandemic will play their part — after all, many of them remember the real thing. this year's remembrance in lockdown will, in a strange way,

be part of history itself. it will be part of the mad story of this great lockdown. i don't know how — of course, it's too soon to say — how historians will remember it. by 1945, war had brought many families and communities closer together. radio linked them with events at home and abroad. now we're all learning that, even when we are forced apart, we can still share experiences. and maybe we can understand a little more about the sense ofjoy and release 75 years ago. robert hall, bbc news. as we've been seeing, people around the uk are marking the 75th anniversary of ve day today — and while public gatherings have been ruled out and much of the real world is off limits, many people are holding events online, as tim muffett has been finding out.

commemorations planned for years disrupted in weeks. but to quote winston churchill "it's the courage to continue that counts". what i've managed to do is pull together a number of standard bearers from across the uk and further afield to have a virtual act of remembrance to basically film themselves performing an act of remembrance and a royal salute. the royal british legion's virtual remembrance parade go online at 11 o'clock. you get a real age range of people taking part, haven't you? 0ur youngest standard bearer, lola, she is five. hi, lola, how are you doing? now, lola, you're the youngest person taking part in the virtual parade. how does that feel? amazing. a generation ago they carried on as normal so i think we need to carry on as normal

as possible to mark — to remember this. pipe major roger bayes has composed a special ve day march. it was supposed to be performed at ceremonies across the uk. i play with the city of norwich pipe band. would have been playing at the most easterly point in the uk, which is ness point in lowestoft. but of course they can't do it now so we'll all be playing at our own separate addresses. the 27 countries it is going to be played in by over 1000 pipers globally. so for you, elaine, ve day has always was been very special, hasn't it? it's a very special day because i was born on ve day 19115. it's always been a familyjoke that they didn't dare fight after i was born because i would have sorted them out. and how will you be marking your birthday and ve day? i live alone so it'll be the first year in my whole life that i have not celebrated it

with friends and i will miss that, but my god—daughter sent me six bottles of prosecco to celebrate. # we'll meet again... tonight at nine o'clock across the uk the nation is invited to sing along to we'll meet again. pupils of the roche school in south london have already recorded their rendition. # some sunny day... # keep smiling through... it's hoped it will be led from her window by 103—year—old dame vera lynn, alongside her daughter, virginia. it does depend on how she feels and how cold it is. if it's very chilly then she won't be near the window. but, anyway, she will be singing and we we'll all be singing. and how is your mother now? we arejust going we are just going to pull away from that report, we are getting ready for the red arrows to do their fly— past for the red arrows to do their fly—past over central london. we have cameras at a number of

locations. there they are. i was told they are in southend a couple of minutes ago. it doesn't take them long to get from a to b. classic diamond nine shape. 0ver hms belfast right now. playing their part in marking ve day. 75 years on. the classic red arrows formation, with the red, white and blue behind them, there wasn't a huge amount of advanced publicity, because crowds weren't, we didn't want to encourage people to go out on the streets. let's listen to the commentary, if we can.

no commentary at the moment, but the distinctive roar of the engines. applause roar of the engines. cheering applause the red arrows over hms belfast, trafalgar square, buckingham palace, some of the landmarks they have flown over over central london. as i was saying, not a huge amount of advanced publicity, the concern was people might gather outside to watch. but here we are, watching, an amazing vantage point. the fly—past over central london. raf typhoon jets also doing fly—past over edinburgh, cardiff, and belfast.

and of course, when the red arrows fly, and of course, when the red arrows fly, it's usually to large crowds, but the streets below them empty today, very fitting way, the red arrows marking ve day, playing their part. we can go live to paris now. the french president emanuel macron is attending a ceremony at the arc de triomphe this morning — to mark victory in europe day. slimmed down commemorations there. he has led a minute's silence for the nation. the rest of the country following the moment on television. 75 years ago, they listened to the radio broadcast of his predecessor. president charles de gaulle. who told france on that day, the war is won, victory is

here. 75 years on, president macron urging people across france to flight the colours of the flag from their balconies and windows. but to observe the social distancing measures that have been put in place. president macron leading this much reduced ceremony at the arc de triomphe in paris. and in australia, the prime minister announcing a three stage plan to live the coronavirus lockdown restrictions. —— to lift. scott morrison said the first phase would include opening some shops and cafes, and allowing up to five guests in peoples' homes. but he said it was up to individual states to decide when to bring in the lifting of restrictions.

we move ahead with reopening our economy and society with a clear plan and framework that shows australians the road ahead. the next step beyond this will be to build the confidence and momentum that will see our economy get back up and running and get australians back up on theirfeet, moving running and get australians back up on their feet, moving ahead with confidence. 0ur correspondent in sydney, shaimaa khalil, gave us more details: absolutely, i think after seven weeks of strict social distancing rules, of lockdown, many australians are quite excited about the prime minister ‘s announcement, given all the caveats of course, that each state will decide when to start day one of step one but yes, we will see children in schools, we will see them in playgrounds, as you say, households will be allowed five visitors at a time, ten people will be allowed to gather in a group

outdoors. cathy s and restaurants will be allowed to open, albeit maintaining strict hygiene and social distancing rules. and with step one, there's going to be again, continued contact tracing, continued testing and that really will ease the way, if you will, towards step two, more people tethering outside, up two, more people tethering outside, up to 20 people outside and then interstate travel. under step one when that starts, local travel is going to be allowed so travel within a state. as restrictions ease, there's going to be internal travel phased in so within the states as well. scott morrison said it was up to individual states to decide when this is going to start and it really depends on the situation in each state, for example, we've seen in western australia, the northern territories, they've already eased their way into more relaxed rules, queensland has announced more relaxed rules on the weekend, for

mother's day, new south wales, for i am, victoria, the more populous states, with more contact tracing and transmission, they are more relu cta nt to and transmission, they are more reluctant to start right away. they said they would have more announcements on monday as to when this will start but really, all eyes will be on those easing, people moving ina will be on those easing, people moving in a more relaxed manner around their cities and potentially around their cities and potentially around their cities and potentially around the country and of course, the reopening of the economy which was devastated when the lockdown happened, hundreds of thousands of jobs were lost and the treasury is hoping that by phase three, july, about 850,000 jobs will be reopened. in the last few seconds we've received the latest covid 19 figures for northern ireland, 45% of deaths in northern ireland from coronavirus are happening in care

homes. the weekly figures published by the northern and statistics and research agency records all debts in which covid 19 is listed on the death certificate, they provide a fuller picture of the coronavirus mortality rate than the daily figures provided by the department of health at stormont. the figures released just now relate to deaths registered in northern ireland up to a week ago, the 1st of may. a total of 516 deaths were linked to covid 19 in northern ireland, 232 of them occurred in care homes, 45% of deaths from coronavirus in northern ireland happening in care homes according to those latest statistics from there. as we've been hearing, people around the uk are marking the 75th anniversary of ve day — the day that peace was declared in europe following six years of conflict in the second world war.

events are planned throughout the uk, but the commemorations have taken a very different tone, with large scale events cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic and people urged to celebrate at home. we can speak now to the historian, david kynaston, who is the author of a series of books on post—war britain. david specialising i know in social history. very good morning to you, thank you for your time today, most people think of ve day as a celebration but of course, the emotions that they were probably much more mixed thanjust that? yes, i think that's right. very complex set of emotions and i've tried in my books, through a range of diaries and reports, letters, recollections and reports, letters, recollections and so on, to convey something of that. the spectrum, really, at one end you had exuberance and great jolliffe occasion, as it were. particularly among younger

people. —— great jolliffe particularly among younger people. —— greatjolliffe occasion. effigies of hitler were burned and so on. unambiguous celebration and feel good, as it were. i think a lot of people had a sense of quiet satisfaction, the end of a very long haul, quite a lot of uncertainty, i think, people had produced to the war, almost six years, what would the future hold? a mixture of hope and nervousness about the future, really. and then of course you had the grumblers. and diarists often are grumblers but people for whom the war had been a massive personal inconvenience, they weren't going to change that view of things because other people were enjoying themselves, real spectrum but i think if i had to sum it up, one word would be relief. relief that a very long haul, very long and difficult war, ultimately victorious war had been seen through to the

end. i think relief if i had to choose one word to summarise. you've done much of your research on that day and that time, the mass observation archives, tell us more about those and how they reflect the mood? yes, mass observation, absolutely unique record, running from just before the second world war to from just before the second world wartoa from just before the second world war to a few years after and essentially, it was an attempt to apply the techniques of anthropology, really, to everyday life in a developing economy, western society, in britain, to get close up to what people were doing, thinking, feeling, they had people who wrote diaries but also an army of volu nteers who wrote diaries but also an army of volunteers who went around taking notes and so on. and on ve day itself, and it opens with this wonderful sequence, the mass

observation investigators, observed ina observation investigators, observed in a newsagents in central london, you have all these people grumbling, saying why weren't we told it was about to start, there were no bells ringing? and so, people were queueing, of course that was one of the great motifs of the war and indeed, there is evidence of queues outside forjobs even longer than usual, that tuesday morning, of ve day so you really get close up and in the evening, one of the volu nteers in the evening, one of the volunteers was in a pub in chelsea, at the moment of 9pm when the king, king george vi, gave his speech and she was a female investigator, she describes in great detail the expressions on people's faces as they heard the king making his speech and we know very well now, from the film, he had a terrible stammer and she described people willing him to get through to the end of his speech. and all sorts of little snippets and vignettes.

real treasure trove of memories. very much so. it's the most phenomenal source and we've never seen phenomenal source and we've never seen anything like it before and we've never had anything quite like it since. and i'm sure you must have been reflecting the date that was planned, the events that were planned, the events that were planned for this day, and when, in the future, historians will look back at this day and the focus will be on coronavirus, won't it? it will be, very much. and as everyone has rightly said, gosh, it's given a real poignancy to the dame vera lynn song, we'll meet again, but the same sense of uncertainty, people really don't know what the future holds. 0lder don't know what the future holds. older people and more vulnerable people, just watching, they will be in some state of isolation for a year or more. it is, in a way, as psychologically unsettling as some of the worst phases of the war. i

mean, there are other ways in which it's not comparable, obviously, but even so, psychologically speaking, these are very difficult times, as they were during the war and actually, after the war, people forget, the immediate years after the war, people found it hard to adjust to the new life, the divorce rate really spiked, even though it was a time when divorce wasn't a thing. and it was quite unsettled state in the country, even though there was relief obviously that the war was over. david, thank you very much for your thoughts today. pleasure, thank you very much indeed. street parties became one of the defining images of ve day in 1945 — long tables seemingly bursting with food. but as the celebration came after years of strict rationing, how was it accomplished? to tell us more, social historian emma muscatjoins me now. and emma has a special interest in food, i must congratulate you on your outfit and your hair, looking

so appropriate for the day, emma. it was a best china sort of day, wasn't it, the images that we have in that time, asi it, the images that we have in that time, as i mentioned, the long trestle tables laid out on streets with so much food. but britain had been under rationing from 1940? how did they manage to produce this fantastic spread ? did they manage to produce this fantastic spread? one simple word. community spirit, well, two words! community spirit, well, two words! community spirit, well, two words! community spirit, neighbours pulled resources , community spirit, neighbours pulled resources, nobody knew exactly when victory was going to be declared. but there was a sense for the weeks leading up to the 8th of may that there was something, work was potentially coming to an end so therefore, when you took your ration book along, you mightjust save up that little bit of dried fruit, to potentially make a cake, you would also talk to your neighbours, perhaps somebody, you had to be very careful, you could not hoard food but saving up, even that

packet of blancmange or that extra packet of jelly, blancmange or that extra packet of jelly, so i think there was definitely talking with neighbours as to how they were going to pull offa as to how they were going to pull off a spread because as you quite rightly said, it was best china and in this extraordinarily difficult time, because by the time we get to 1945, rationing is pretty tough. and of course, doesn't end until 1954 and it gets even tougher after the war. so, this was an opportunity to decompress and also, to really show off, there was a lot of competition. tell us about the food in front of you come up with that have been typical? absolutely. all of these recipes are made from original recipes. by marguerite patten. she was the chef, the writer that everybody tuned into, usually around 8:15am, she had a programme called kitchen front, aimed at housewives,

we had blancmange, this tricolour blancmange, red, white, blue, the theme running through the entire day, the patriotic theme, i read a wonderful oral history about how on earth did they get blue colouring? 0ne lady boiled a denim coloured sack, within an inch of its life to get the dye out. emma, and going to ask you to pause, we have to say goodbye to our viewers on the bbc world. and will continue with emma, telling us and will continue with emma, telling us about the amazing food and have people created these fantastic spreads for ve day. you are telling us spreads for ve day. you are telling us how people came up with blue food dye or blue dye for the food! i'm not sure if it was food dye as we normally know it! synthetic food colourings were certainly available

and food essences, flavourings. but of course, they weren't readily available so you might have something from before the war and it's perhaps lost its colouring but one lady had died this blue flowers sack that she had, to get the blue dye out and i've actually used synthetic colouring for mine but the red, white and blue, that's correct. we also have mock banana, which is actually made with mashed parsnips and a little bit up banana essence. popular, very popular, children love this because many children during the second world war never saw a banana, never the second world war never saw a banana , never saw the second world war never saw a banana, never saw a citrus fruit, an orange or a lemon. that was popular in sandwiches at the time. orange or a lemon. that was popular in sandwiches at the timelj orange or a lemon. that was popular in sandwiches at the time. i wonder how many of us would like to try mashed parsnips is a bit substitute. some of these very fancy cakes with more than one tier, it

wasn't all cake, was it? no, again, that goes back to, maybe there would be one tier, may be a free kick, celebration cake as we know it now, you would share the ingredients, perhaps a neighbour we get extra fruit, someone will give you extra sugarin fruit, someone will give you extra sugar in the second tier, possibly the third tier would be cardboard. cardboard, extra tears for kicks we re cardboard, extra tears for kicks were popular in the war, to give the illusion and some of the photographs that you see from street parties, how on earth did they manage that, look a little closer, you can see it asa look a little closer, you can see it as a fake cardboard, the second and third tier, i think if people had managed to pull off a three tier celebration cake there would be questions asked by the local police, had they been food hoarding or was it black—market credits? had they been food hoarding or was it black-market credits? they managed to set the scene for the day. lovely to talk to you emma. enjoy your virtual ve day and some of the food you have in front of you, thank you so

much. it's time for the weather with sarah keith lucas. hello, if you are celebrating the 75th anniversary of ve day, maybe from home or in your garden, the weather is looking mostly dry and settled out there, but we have a few heavy showers and potentially some thunderstorms in the forecast later on. plenty of sunshine for southern and eastern parts of england. a few heavy showers for northern england, wales and also scotland and northern ireland, seeing a few of those heavy showers with the odd rumble of thunder around. temperatures in the warmest spots up to 24 or 25, but typically in the high teens or mid 20s. we have some of those heavy showers and thunderstorms continuing this evening but they will gradually fade away overnight. it will be a fairly mild night with temperatures around about 7—11. quite murky through some of the irish sea coasts at the moment and that story continues into saturday as well. through the day tomorrow, a lot of dry and fine weather still. some heavy rain across the north of scotland, but later in the afternoon, more scattered heavy showers particularly for northern england, wales and the midlands. temperatures between 14 and 24. goodbye.

hello, this is bbc news. the headlines...

the queen is to lead tributes to those who fought in the second world war — 75 years to the day sir winston churchill announced victory in europe. today is your victory. in all our long history, we have never seen a greater day than this. the red arrows have flown over central london, and modern raf typhoon jets appear overhead in edinburgh, cardiff and belfast. in paris, president macron lays a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier. as events take place at home and online to pay tribute uk ministers urge the public to maintain the coronavirus lockdown. fundraing hero captain tom joins the veterans remembering the part they played in a key moment in our history. everything was going well here, but they were still out there risking their

lives and battling on, as they always did. music always plays a major part in celebrations and commemorations, but as the 75th anniversary of ve day is marked in unusual circumstances, one wartime standard in particular has captured the imagination. # we'll meet again # don't know where # don't know when # but i know we'll meet again some sunny day # keep smiling through # just

like you always do # ‘till the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away that was a performance of we'll meet again, made famous by dame vera lynn, which the public are being invited to sing along to just after 9pm tonight. that version was performed for bbc news by the d—day darlings — i'm joined now by d—day darlings singer katie ashby. lovely to hear that song again and it will be heard many times today of course. you are due to perform at a concert of dame vera lynn ‘s children's charity as a part of ve day celebrations but even though that isn't happening, you still have a busy day. we are completely manic. we are so proud to commemorate and still celebrate the plans have

changed, we had huge plans and one of them was to perform with the dame vera lynn charity to raise much—needed funds. but we will get there, we are waiting for announcements, and waiting for them like the rest of the world so we can start moving forward again and get those wonderful events back in the diary. you have already sung for key workers today, perhaps that is later, and a number of other things you are doing as well. loads going on today. we will appear on the bbc, on today. we will appear on the bbc, on the ve day show. at the time winston churchill made the announcement. lots of things throughout the day. we are so proud to be able to keep singing this gorgeous song, joining together with the rest of the nation at nine o'clock, loud and proud, and what an amazing day everyone will have. at the moment. one of the things you are disappointed about, you will not be able to meet the veterans who had planned to talk to today.

this is the thing and, yes, we are singers and performers and we love to do that, but a lot of what we do is talking to veterans, comforting to them, hearing their stories and learning from them. it's so disappointing we can't do that today but we are just like everyone, clinging on and waiting for the time when we can get back with our heroes again. we are looking at the images of you and your colleagues in the d—day darlings singing we'll meet again. what is it about that song that's so compelling? it was designed to see people through that terrible time and dark day, and that's what's happening now. those words really resonate with today, we will meet again, we will see friends and family again. i think that wartime spirit in general has made a big comeback, especially when you see the likes of colonel tom and how inspiring he has been. that generation are made of strong stuff, and we are still honouring their

own paying homage to that time today. its amazing. the title of the song referenced by the queen and her message when she spoke to the uk about the coronavirus pandemic. i think now you will sing us out of this interview with another wartime classic that has taken on a new significance in recent weeks. classic that has taken on a new significance in recent weeksm has. i will perform for you somewhere over the rainbow, which has taken on a real importance for the nhs and our key workers. # somewhere over the rainbow # way up high # there's a land that i heard of # once in a lullaby # somewhere over the rainbow

# bluebirds fly # birds fly over the rainbow. # why then, oh, why can't i? # why, oh, why can't i?# that was beautiful, kate. a bit of a lump in the throat moment, i will confess. thank you so much for that. i'm sure many people will be enjoying your music today, kate ashby from the d—day darlings. enjoying your music today, kate ashby from the d-day darlings. thank you and lots of love. millions of people across britain went outside last night to clap for key workers, and tonight they'll be another chance for neighbours to come together — this time for a national singalong. the song in question is

dame vera lynn's "we'll meet again", which has taken on a new resonance during the lockdown. let's hear a few thoughts — including some from dame vera herself — about why this track has stood the test of time. # we'll meet again. # don't know where. # don't know when...# when this song appears it's precisely at the point where thousands and thousands of families are being separated. archival: to our men in uniform, from the girls at home. you've got tens of thousands of british troops scattered across the world, apart from theirfamilies. so the song encapsulates that, and radio is the means of connection. it's really nice to think, if you're separated, that your families back home are listening to the same thing at the same time and the song itself, of course, we'll meet again, encapsulates exactly the wistfulness

and the sadness but also the determination to meet again that so many soldiers and civilians felt. archival: a personal letter in words and music, sincerely yours, vera lynn. you think, well, now, what am i going to close the programme on, it's got to be something. oh, yes, i know, i've been singing a nice song in the theatres, variety theatres, we'll meet again, that's a nice... so that's when i chose we'll meet again as my fading out song on radio. and, of course, it's never left me. clearly we can overdo the comparisons with war, but there is something stunningly similar here, which is this whole notion of enforced separation and we're willingly doing it because we have some sort of faith that there will be an ultimate

victory. so it is about separation which is endurable if there is a sense of purpose. archival: it's sort of wonderful where husbands and wives torn apart by war can be brought together by music. the fact that these songs were so emotional really worried the top brass of the bbc and one of them said, "how could men fit themselves for battle with such debilitating tunes ringing in theirears?" and the people who actually made the programmes visited the soldiers' camps and they could see for themselves not just that vera lynn was really popular, but there was absolutely no sign whatsoever that their resolve to fight was being weakened. this was a real moment in history when emotions were 0k, even among fighting men, and it was also a moment in history, really, that was a lesson

for the old guard that, actually, it was a lesson in learning to trust the people and to not underestimate their resolve. # but i know we'll meet again some sunny day...# we've heard plenty of comparisons in recent weeks between the national efforts to beat coronavirus and to win the second world war. doug vince and margaret maxwell experienced both. they lived through the war and — after meeting for the first time two years ago — they decided to "self—isolate" together during the lockdown. shaun peel reports. the decision was made in a brief moment. no hesitation. when lockdown was announced, margaret moved in with doug. together in isolation. well, i had a choice, really. either to ask the family to take me home or stay with doug so that he was not on his own,

because at the time, they said it could last for 12 weeks. so i decided to stay. and i liked her company so it suited me. and i've been here seven weeks now. as a young man, doug wanted to be a pilot but he ended up as a flight engineer on stirling bombers flying out of suffolk. returning from one mission, his plane was hit by enemy fire and it was on fire as it landed. doug's hand was badly burned. i grabbed a fire extinguisher to try and put the fire out and it was in the fire so it burnt the middle out of my hand. i can remember trying to put it down and it was stuck so i had to throw it to get rid of it. doug's hand was treated by the pioneering plastic surgeon archibald mcindoe, using skin

grafted from his inner thigh. i found the crew all standing some way away from the plane and i went and joined them and then i realised that my hand hurt. when you say your hand hurt, is that a bit of an understatement? yes! 0n ve day, as doug was recovering in hospital, 17—year—old margaret was celebrating. she is the one lying down. she had spent her teenage years in and out of air—raid shelters, terrified by the sound of sirens. that did more damage for me than anything, to hear the siren go off, itjust shook my nerves to pieces. and it took me years and years to get over that, but i'm all right now! so doug and margaret will spend ve day tomorrow in lockdown together, sharing memories of their war and more. and after seven weeks, their friendship is closer than ever.

well, yes, very close friends, yes. very close. that's enough! shaun peel, bbc news. as well as celebrating the declaration of peace in europe, ve day is an opportunity for reflection, and on its 75th anniversary, it's taking place during another time of crisis. let's speak to sir andrew gregory, chief executive of ssafa, the armed forces charity. also bob gamble, assistant director of commemorative events for the royal british legion. thank you both forjoining us on bbc news. sir andrew first of all, how does ve day stand out for you from other commemorations of this nature? good morning. it's really important

to recognise that ve day is a chance to recognise that ve day is a chance to appreciate the victory over nazi germany. we should neverforget to appreciate the victory over nazi germany. we should never forget that regimes like that are a danger and we must be alert to that today. but it's also a real opportunity to celebrate the individual courage, self—sacrifice, commitment, of ordinary men and women across the country. it is wonderful we are seeing the same today. certainly in ssafa, the armed forces charity, those we help are always saying there are others more in need than we are. it's those values that make this so special. bob, i'm sure you would echo those thoughts about remembering the sacrifice of those who survived and those who didn't. but a very different sort of day from the one you had expected to ta ke from the one you had expected to take part in today. how have you adapted to the challenges of marking ve day during the coronavirus? as you say, it has been

a massive challenge for us, but we have managed to pull round from an event that was going to be over three days, where we would host 1100 veterans in london, in order to have a traditional ve day 75. a lot of people from a lot of different areas, including across the services charity sector have come together, and in two months have provided a day that we at least hope in some way will be sufficient for veterans. starting with a moment of remembrance for those who didn't come home and those lost at home during world war ii. but most importantly, the veterans we are referring to are indeed the most vulnerable in this current crisis. and the way they are carrying themselves is an example to us all. can you tell us a little bit about what will be happening today, the hastily put together a programme of events. the first key moment is the

11 o'clock two—minute silence. probably the most important first step on ve day to remember those lost. and then winston churchill's speech at three o'clock, which was announced to the world from the steps of the health ministry. we have seen the images of that today. and this evening, a number of celebrations going on, as is right for ve day, culminating with a moment from her majesty at nine o'clock, followed by the national song, as it is now. the armed forces have been in the headlines recently for their efforts in this pandemic, helping to very quickly put together those nightingale hospitals in different parts of the uk. give me your reflections, if you would, on the front line then and now and what parallels there are. i think it's all about the values those individuals show, which are inculcated from their very first day

of service and which they carry with them for the rest of their lives. courage, loyalty, integrity, discipline. all those sorts of things makes service men and women very special. and so many of them are too proud to ask for help. in ssafa we would say, please come to us ssafa we would say, please come to us if you have needs. we are there and we are proud to support you. do you think in some way there is an added poignancy to today that more people will actually be stopping to reflect because of the circumstances they find themselves in now, and of what people were going through 75 yea rs what people were going through 75 years ago. i would love to get a thought from that from both of you. i think there is an undoubted correlation between the two. as you say, an added poignancy from it. to follow—up from sir andrew's points, there are some virtues that in truth we have come to expect from the armed forces. we are seeing

during the covered might crisis those virtues being demonstrated by a much broader base from men and women. obviously people from the medical services but also many others from the less high—profile pieces that have kept britain taking in this challenging time. people who would ina challenging time. people who would in a world war have been called to arms. and it is a reassurance that there are men and women today who are the equal of what has gone on before. it's an opportunity for us all to link together and use the veterans of ve day 75 as the focus, which is quite appropriate. and sir andrew? i couldn't agree with bob moore. he has put it beautifully. in ssafa we are proud to work alongside the royal british legion and we have a close partnership. at 11 o'clock i will be thinking of a number of groups of people. i have my father's medals beside me ready for 11 o'clock. i will think of my mother and father, both of whom

were serving on ve day. my father was badly wounded on d—day, june six, 1944 and he was still in hospital. my 1944 and he was still in hospital. my mother was serving in the women's royal naval service, the wrens, and she was in paris on ve day, having gone across to france in september of 1944. secondly i will think of those who served alongside them, particularly a lance bombardier, who was killed alongside my father when he was wounded, and the many other men and women who gave so much for this nation. and then i will think more broadly about all those who served during the second world war and since then. and exactly has bob has said, showing the values we have seen has said, showing the values we have seen from many other people in society who would have stepped forward had they needed to during the war. i shall be proud to stand during the two—minute silence. the war. i shall be proud to stand during the two-minute silence. sur andrew gregory from ssafa

and bob gamble from the royal british legion, thank you for your thoughts on the day ahead. in a few minutes time — we'll be bringing you a national silence to mark the 75th anniversary of ve day — but first — today may be one of celebration, but also a time to honour those who fought through the second world war. we've got to know three of them rather well on bbc news over recent months. last week we said happy 100th birthday to captain tom moore — now colonel tom moore — who has raised £33 million for the nhs during the coronavirus pandemic. we also met the royal navy veteran, ken benbow, after he charmed us with his emotional reaction to being given a cushion with a picture of his late wife, ada, on it. it was a gift from kia, who works in his care home. and then there was the d—day veteran, harry billinge, who has spent so much time campaigning for a permanent memorial in france to his fallen comrades. today's anniversary seemed

like the perfect moment to introduce tom, ken and harry to each other — using video technology, of course — and share their memories of ve day. our reporterjohn maguire did the honours. how are we all? shall we all wave to each other, first thing to say? give everyone a wave. their combined age is pushing 300. these men have shared an experience that now belongs to an ever smaller number. they fought in a world war. when the german surrender came, captain — now, of course, colonel tom moore — was training tank crews in dorset. i was very pleased for all the people in europe. but i was very apprehensive, and it was unfortunate, because all the friends that i had were still back in burma. harry billinge landed in france on d—day. eleven months later,

when victory was announced, he was in hospital being treated for injuries sustained in the liberation of europe. we were on the news. everybody told me it was over. and well, that was it. it didn't mean nuts to me though, really. none of these days make... because the war was still on. when i saw my mates coming home from prisons of war, that even added to my frustration. and you can't live with that. ken benbow was in the royal navy, and also took part in the invasion of normandy, but on ve day was still in action off the coast of japan. we were just about alongside, off okinawa, and we were getting attacked by the kamikaze pilots. so i didn't know a lot about ve day, other than on the radio. we were tickled pink. we were just going in to

attack japan, so we were really scared stiff. and that was our main thoughts, but we were very, very pleased that war was over in the uk. as the streets of the united kingdom filled with dancing, parties and freedom, bathed in lights not seen for years... and everyone's singing. we couldn't see them actually dancing, but they were dancing in the streets and they were drinking, and they were having a first class party. unfortunately, we weren't in it! we couldn't be with them. everything was going well here, but they were still out there, risking their lives and battling on, as they always did. good luck, tom. and good luck to our boys, eh? god bless you. nice to see you. in recent times we've come to know and respect ken, tom and harry for the men they are now. but 75 years on from ve day, they — and we — will remember the men they were then,

and especially those denied the chance to grow old with them. it's been an honour and a pleasure. thank you. god bless you all. john maguire, bbc news.

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