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- Victory Day, 8 June 1946
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Exhibitions
- Celebrating Gala Day 2020
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County Durham remembers VE Day 1945
- 'We have come through' - Remembering VE Day 1945
- 9th Battalion DLI: From D-Day to Berlin
- 9th Battalion DLI: VE Day
- 9th Battalion DLI: In Berlin, June - September 1945
- Berlin Victory Parade, 7 September 1945
- Victory Parade at Belsen, 8 May 1945
- The Northern Echo, Victory edition, 9 May 1945
- VE Day and Durham Schools
- 2nd Battalion DLI: Burma 1945
- 2nd Battalion DLI: Rangoon Victory Parade, 15 June 1945
- VE Day and the Durham Miners' Association
- County Durham celebrates VE Day
- Haswell Victory Celebrations, 1945
- Soldier: Victory Souvenir edition, 8 May 1945
- Parade: European Victory edition, 26 May 1945
- VE Day not forgotten by one Spennymoor family
- County Durham celebrates VJ Day
- Victory Day, 8 June 1946
Victory Day, 8 June 1946
Part of an online exhibition from Durham County Record Office commemorating the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe on 8 May 1945
In February 1946, Prime Minister Atlee's government ordered that Victory celebrations would be held in June 1946 to mark the end of the Second World War. The main event would be a Victory procession in London on Saturday 8 June, but similar parades and events would be encouraged across Britain.
On parade in London, there would be soldiers from every British Regiment. However, as the Regular battalions of the Durham Light Infantry (DLI) were overseas (the 1st Battalion in Greece and the 2nd Battalion in Malaya), the Regiment was represented by a small contingent of DLI Territorials.
In Durham City a special Victory Day programme of events was organised for Saturday 8 June and, from a report in the Durham County Advertiser, 14 June 1946, Durham was 'crowded with a happy, good-natured throng' before rain drove people home.
Victory Day programme from the City of Durham Clerk's Department files, FGP 1/36: Victory Celebrations (Du/Appendices (Acc:1768)).
Towns and villages across County Durham marked Victory Day in their own way, so Sacriston's Working Men's Club organised a day trip to Scarborough, whilst there was a children's sports day and tea in Great Lumley.
However, according to the Durham Chronicle, 14 June 1946, there were no organised Victory celebrations in Houghton-le-Spring, apart from a 'free treat to the pictures for school children'. Rather, the newspaper claimed, many people were asking 'What is there to celebrate?' Youngsters did light bonfires but 'most people remained at home to listen to the broadcast of the great Victory Parade in London'. A shortage of beer in Houghton-le-Spring on Victory Day probably did not help the town's glum mood.
Back to 'We have come through' - remembering VE Day 1945 exhibition homepage.