UK enjoys 'brief period of rejoicing' to commemorate VE Day's 75th Anniversary

The Lincolnshire-based RAF Red Arrows salute the nation as they fly over London.

THE UK celebrated VE Day's 75th Anniversary under lockdown over the weekend, with many people enjoying socially distanced street parties organised by neighbours and friends to ease the boredom of weeks of self-isolation.

The BCC broadcast extracts of Winston Churchill's VE Day speech to the nation as part of the commemorations.

Britain's wartime leader spoke about a "brief period of rejoicing" amid "toils and efforts" in the replayed speech.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall led a two-minute silence earlier in the day, and the Queen addressed her nation under lockdown.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed "eternal" gratitude to the wartime generation.

Victory in Europe Day marks the day in 1945 when Britain and its allies accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, bringing the war in Europe to an end.

This year's celebration is limited as the lockdown prompted by the coronavirus pandemic meant there were no large-scale street parties or parades.

At 3pm, the same time that Winston Churchill addressed the nation on 8 May 1945, BBC One broadcast his words: "We may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing, but let us not forget for a moment the toils and efforts that lie ahead."

The commemorations began with a flypast over London by the Royal Air Force display team the Red Arrows, while RAF Typhoon jets flew over Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast.

In a message, Mr Johnson referred to the virus outbreak, saying it "demands the same spirit of national endeavour" as shown during wartime.

"We can't hold the parades and street celebrations we enjoyed in the past, but all of us who were born since 1945 are acutely conscious that we owe everything we most value to the generation who won the Second World War," he said.