VE Day 75 | Shine a Light

  • 08 May 2020
  • Time: 11:00
  • Events

When VE Day dawns on 8th May 2020 it will be 75 years since the guns fell silent at the end of the war in Europe. To mark this occasion we are asking you to #ShineALight.

Years of carnage and destruction had come to an end and millions of people took to the streets and pubs to celebrate peace, mourn their loved ones and to hope for the future, but not forgetting those still in conflict until 15th August when it was announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, effectively ending World War II.

Get involved - Shine A Light!

To mark this occasion we are asking you to #ShineALight to mark the 75 years commemorative celebration and share your pictures and videos on social media.

Shine A Light is an audio and visual activity that marks the main historic events of the day in 1945:

  • 11 am: 2 minutes’ silence to remember the sacrifices made between 1939 and 1945.

  • 3 pm: Churchill's speech - Royal Navy warships and support vessels of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary at home and deployed around the world will blast their horns for a minute to celebrate victory

  • 9.30 pm: The King's speech - naval ships will redirect their searchlights skywards for five minutes. With your phone, torch, or anything that emits light, take to the night sky and shine your light! 

The 75th anniversary will provide our nation, and our friends around the world, with an opportunity to reflect on the enormous sacrifice, courage, and determination of people from all walks of life who saw us through this dark and terrifying period.

Countdown to Victory

Between now and VE Day on May 8, follow the countdown to victory stories of those final days in the Battle of the Atlantic.

29 April 1945

HMS Goodall, the last escort ship lost in the Battle of the Atlantic, was sunk by U-boat off Murmansk in the final convoy battle of World War Two in Europe.

30 April 1945

HMS Havelock and HMS Hesperus attacked a suspected U-boat off Anglesey in one of the last acts of the 'second Battle of Britain' in WW2

02 May 1945

Today the last Royal Navy vessel lost in the Battle of the Atlantic in World War Two was sunk off Iceland by U-979. The converted trawler was minesweeping to clear a path for a convoy. Just one man survived.

03 May 1945

The 2nd greatest naval tragedy of the 20th Century took place when 3 ships with concentration camp prisoners sank in Lübeck Bay. The Royal Navy faced gruesome scenes when it arrived that night.

04 May 1945

This day, in 1945, the Fleet Air Arm struck at a U-boat base in northern Norway - the final carrier operation of World War Two in Europe - sinking one submarine and two ships. 

05 May 1945

On this day the home of the German Navy, Kiel, fell into British hands – and with it secrets of new U-boats which may have changed the course of World War Two at sea had they entered service.

06 May 1945

On this Day in 1945, last U-boats are sunk in action in WW2. In the Norwegian Sea, a new type of German submarine carries out a dummy attack on cruiser HMS Norfolk - a foretaste of what might have been without VE Day. 

07 May 1945

Today, in 1945, the last merchant ships are sunk in the Battle of the Atlantic - 20 hours after Germany has agreed to surrender. In all 14.5m tonnes of shipping is sunk between Sept 3 1939 and May 7 1945 – the longest naval battle in history. 

08 May 1945

Today, in 1945 Britain celebrated triumph over Nazism and Fascism – Victory in Europe Day! “We have never seen a greater day than this,” Churchill declared as people partied across the land. 

09 May 1945

Today, the Royal Navy took the surrender of scores of U-boats. Around 150 boats ended up in British hands at the end of World War Two with most scuttled off the Irish coast under Operation Deadlight.