The King and Queen lead the nation in marking VE Day 80th anniversary

For the fallen 

The Abbey Choir sang a setting of words from Laurence Binyon's For the Fallen as The King laid a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior on behalf of the Nation and the Commonwealth. The Prince of Wales laid a wreath on behalf of veterans and the Second World War generation, represented by 99-year-old Ken Hay, who served in the 4th Dorset infantry regiment.

The Dean said the Collect, using words said in the Abbey on VE Day in 1945:  

'Remember O Lord, all those, the brave and the true, who have died the death of honour and are departed in the hope of resurrection to Eternal life. We praise thy holy name for the gift of their matchless courage. We thank thee that their warfare is accomplished, that their sorrows are assuaged, and their grievous wounds are healed. Crown, we beseech thee, with thy loving mercy, the offering of their brave lives. Grant unto them thy eternal peace; and the blessing of thy perfect comfort unto all who mourn.' 

The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York, gave the Address, saying: 'Today, on this 80th anniversary, we give thanks for those whose sacrifice made our victory possible. We pray again for peace in Europe. We salute those who were so committed to the ideas and ideals they fought to uphold, that in the post-war era rebuilt the world to reflect those beliefs.' 

The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, read from Matthew 5. 

Voices of 1945 

Among those taking part in the service were: 

• Josh Dylan, who read a letter by Fredrick Burgess, a serving soldier on the front line, written to his seven-year-old son
• Nina Sosanya, who read a letter written by Janet Thornton to her young daughters on VE Day
• Zizi Strallen, who sang The White Cliffs of Dover, accompanied by the RAF Band
• Cadet Warrant Officer Bethan Holmes, who read from the memoire of Joan Broome, a fifteen-year-old girl, on her experience of VE Day in London
• Abigail McFarlane, a King’s Scout, who led a Rededication to Peace 

Churchill’s speech to the nation 

An extract of Winston Churchill's VE Day speech was played to the congregation: 

‘Yesterday morning, at 2.41 a.m., at Headquarters, General Jodl, the representative of the German High Command, and Grand Admiral Doenitz, the designated head of the German State, signed the act of unconditional surrender of all German land, sea, and air forces in Europe to the Allied Expeditionary Force, and simultaneously to the Soviet High Command. Hostilities will end officially at one minute after midnight to-night (Tuesday, the 8th of May). Advance, Britannia! Long live the cause of freedom! God save the King!’ 

Musical choices 

The service was sung by The Choir of Westminster Abbey, directed by Andrew Nethsingha, Organist and Master of the Choristers. 

Among the music was a setting of words from Psalm 46 by Sir John Rutter which was composed specially for a service to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day in 2020 that was unable to go ahead as planned due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The Choir also sang from Hubert Parry's Songs of Farewell as the VE Day 80th Candle of Peace was lit by Alexander Churchill, the great-great-grandson of Sir Winston Churchill. The anthem was also sung at the State Funeral of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who had celebrated with the crowds who gathered on the streets of London on VE Day. 

The hymns included O God, our help in ages past, which was sung at the services of thanksgiving for victory which were held hourly in the Abbey on VE Day in 1945. 

Prayers were led by the Reverend Robert Latham, Minor Canon and Precentor; and the Blessing was pronounced by the Dean. 

A royal tribute 

At the end of the service, The King and Queen, accompanied by Members of the Royal Family, met veterans in the Abbey's nave. 

On departure, The Queen, The Princess of Wales and other Members of the Royal Family laid flowers at the Innocent Victims' Memorial, which stands as a tribute to all victims of war and oppression. 

Anniversary bell ringing 

As the service ended, the bells of the Abbey church were ‘fired’ eighty times. Firing requires all ten bells to be sounded simultaneously, producing a powerful clashing sound, and is generally reserved for great celebrations, anniversaries and rejoicing. Four sets of twenty firings were interspersed with the bells being rung sequentially in descending scales. This was followed by a longer piece of ringing composed specially for the occasion, called 1945 Stedman Caters. The piece was composed and conducted by Lucy Woodward of the Westminster Abbey Company of Ringers. 

Westminster Abbey and VE Day 

On the 8th May 1945, people across the United Kingdom came together to celebrate the end of nearly six years of war against Nazi Germany. This was Victory in Europe Day, which marked the surrender of the Nazi regime and the end of war in Europe. The conflict had caused huge loss of life, suffering, and destruction, from the front lines through to the home front, impacting the entire United Kingdom and much of the world.  

The BBC interrupted its programming on 7th May to announce the long-anticipated news to the nation, reporting that the next day would be a national holiday. As VE Day dawned, bells rang out across the country from churches that would see packed congregations. 

At Westminster Abbey, short services of ‘thanksgiving for victory’ were held every hour from 9.00am to 10.00pm. An estimated 25,000 people attended during the day, and members of the congregations were invited 'to join heartily in the responses'. 

The Abbey has continued to mark VE Day regularly since then. Special services of remembrance were held on the 40th, 50th, 60th and 70th anniversaries, with thanks given for the reconciliation of former enemies and prayers said for lasting peace. 

Further reading 

A service to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day - Order of Service (PDF, 710KB) 

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