LENDAL Bridge in lights, Union flags flying in Goodramgate, street parties across the city.
This is how York looked on VE Day – 80 years ago today.
Our archive photos take us back to that time, when the hardship and heartache of six years of war came to an end.
In Europe at least.
Celebrating VE Day in York – lights on Lendal Bridge and flags in Goodramgate It would be several more weeks until Japan surrendered and the Second World War was truly and finally over.
This meant the end of living in fear of bombs falling on York, of having to take cover in air raid shelters, of life on hold.
One of the first big changes people in York witnessed was light at night.
Streetlights came on again and people ditched their dark blackout curtains.
As one of our photos shows, Lendal Bridge was lit up at night.
It felt like a festival or carnival. Something special – a new bright world, far removed from the dark hours of wartime.
As Victory in Europe was claimed, hundreds assembled in Exhibition Square in the centre of York.
People recall linking arms and singing the Lambeth Walk, forming a conga line; there was laughter, and singing.
Life could start again.
Share your nostalgia memories
If you love delving into York’s past and seeing photos and reading stories from yesteryear then make sure you check The Press every day for its regular nostalgia stories. And don’t miss our eight-page nostalgia supplement every Wednesday in the paper.
We also have more than 3,000 members in our online nostalgia group on Facebook, Why We Love York – Memories. It is free to join and you will find us at www.facebook.com/groups/yorknostalgia/.
It would be great to see your old photos of York – and they don’t have to be from centuries ago. We all love seeing old photos from our recent past, and some of our more popular stories with readers date from the 70s, 80s and 90s.
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