大象传媒

The day victory was declared in Europe was the day a little village in Widnes had been waiting for.

Dora Buff was 14 at the time and says: 鈥淲hen it came to celebrating, Lugsdale was always the best.鈥�
Everyone got involved in the party. 鈥淲e had people like my mother who encouraged us to make all the decorations and the bunting, and we had lots and lots of floats, all the local tradesmen, like the coalman 鈥� he must have had quite a job trying to scrub it up for us ready to decorate it.

鈥淭he floats were fantastic really, each one of them depicted different parts of the world that were actually in the war, and there was definitely one for all the servicemen and women. It was all good fun.鈥�

A green at the centre of the village was where all big events took place: 鈥淣anny Roberts who lived within a few yards of The Square 鈥� it was inevitable that her upright piano would be rolled out, all the parents would have decorated it anyway for the celebrations, and then all the fathers would bring any kind of table, whatever type of table it was, into The Square.鈥�

Rationing was still in place, but this didn鈥檛 stop the people of Lugsdale indulging: 鈥淭he mothers saved the coupons to actually get together and make cakes, and sandwiches and jelly and one of the outdoor shops would give us some pop and the pub gave us some Smith鈥檚 crisps, and we had so much to eat, that in itself was a celebration.鈥�

The entertainment didn鈥檛 end with the floats: 鈥淲e had Billy Foster鈥檚 Jazz Band, Annie Lannigan鈥檚 Morris Dancers and umpteen people on accordions and things.鈥�

Their celebrations were taken from Lugsdale into neighbouring villages: 鈥淢y Auntie Eva started a line, and we did the conga, and we actually went into Marylebone which is the next village, just showing off we were.鈥�

At the end of VE Day, the residents were already planning their next celebration: 鈥淲e knew eventually that we鈥檇 be having another good time because we were hoping that the war in Japan would be over soon, so we鈥檇 have to start all over again.鈥�

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