大象传媒

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This story was submitted to the Peoples War Site by Gemma Burke from The Folkestone School for Girls and has been added to the website on behalf of Cicely Carpenter with her permission and she fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

I have very vivid memories of VE-day on the 8th May 1945. I was a Guy鈥檚 nurse and we had been evacuated from London to Orpington Hospital, Kent. I can remember nursing soldiers from D-day. The night before VE-day I was working the night shift. I heard about victory in the very early hours of the morning and we went off duty. I think the names of some of the other nurses were Mary Shipton and Anne Lendrum.

As soon as I heard the news at the end of night duty I had breakfast and changed out of my uniform. I had not slept all night but I got the milk train from Orpington to London and got off at London Bridge station. Somehow I found my way to Buckingham Palace and joined the massive crowd gathering. I was totally surrounded by people. I remember children on their parent鈥檚 shoulders. It was about the middle of the day. The king George VI and Queen Elizabeth, Churchill and I think the princesses came out onto the balcony at about three o鈥檆lock. Princess Elizabeth, our present Queen was in ATS uniform.

It was a very patriotic occasion because the palace had been bombed but the Royal Family had stayed in Britain and I felt proud to be British. I remember feeling hungry and waving my flag, there was a feeling of euphoria amongst the crowd. We were waiting for about four hours for them to come onto the balcony and when they did eventually come out I could see them because I was right up by the railings of the palace.

I can鈥檛 remember specific events of the day but there was a great feeling of pride and that everyone in London was in it together. Somehow or other I got back to the station and back to Orpington. I think I probably went back to night duty again that night, without any sleep, I think I ran on adrenalin. There was a marvellous feeling of relief that there would be no more black out, this was a hassle and had to be done every single night. Parties went on all day and all night everywhere but everyone still had to do their duty. The memories will last with me forever, for the rest of my days and although it all happened sixty years ago it is almost as if it were just yesterday.

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