And so it begins…
Welcome to this year’s Plymouth History Festival. This year is very different to others due to the ongoing health situation, but we hope you’ll follow us and enjoy the content we’ll be releasing every day for the next 24 days.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the fact that the festival is a team effort. We’d like to extend a huge thanks to all the event providers and individuals who’ve been working with us over the last few weeks to adapt their plans, develop content and share their knowledge.
We’d programmed the start of the festival to coincide with the 75th anniversary of VE Day. This significant moment will be marked in a wide variety of ways across the UK and beyond today.
VE Day took place on 8 May 1945 and marked the beginning of the end of the Second World War. It was a time of celebration and a chance for communities to come together after six years of global conflict. We’re dealing with a very different threat to our daily lives at the moment. There are lots of ways you can celebrate today from the safety of your homes however, as well as honour those who lost their lives or whose lives were changed forever.
Here’s a film clip from the city’s archive collections which shows the Home Guard stand down on Plymouth Hoe in 1945.
You can see more great archive film clips on Visit Plymouth.
We’ll be signposting you to even more VE Day content throughout the day and will also be going live with an online exhibition of archive images at lunchtime.
In the meantime, why not take a look at this great scene-setting summary from our friends at the Imperial War Museums, or watch this showreel of some of the celebrations that took place in 1945?
The BBC has lots of programming planned throughout today, along with a special evening of entertainment. Read their press release here.
We hope you have a great day, however you choose to celebrate and commemorate. We’ll be back later!
Plymouth History Festival 
Having only ever known peace, it’s hard to imagine what it must have been like. So it’s good to stop and remember those who died so that we could enjoy the freedoms we have today. Thank you for all the footage to remind us.