VE Day

VE day, or Victory in Europe day, marks the day when the guns of World War II finally fell silent in Europe. The announcement that the war in Europe had ended came from Prime Minister Winston Churchill at 3pm on 8th May 1945. The day was celebrated with street parties and celebrations, and many people gathered outside Buckingham Palace dressed in red, white and blue. Although the day marked the end of the war in Europe, it was not the end of World War Two and amongst the celebrations, there was also a great deal of sadness for those who had lost loved ones in the war and for those who were still fighting or were still held as a prisoner of war.

‘We may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing but let us not forget for a moment the toil and efforts that lie ahead’ Winston Churchill.

Purple Mash resources

There are several activities within Purple Mash that can be used by children to commemorate VE Day.

Writing Projects

We have several writing projects. Children can write about the lead up to VE day and what happened on the day itself, or they could research the events of VE Day and write a newspaper report from May 8th 1945, explaining what happened as well as capturing the thoughts of people on the day. They can also choose one of the VE day images and write about the emotions felt by the subjects in the photographs.

VE Day did not mean the end of the war and rationing stayed in place throughout the country, children could use this template to find out more about rationing in WW2 and how it affected the people of Britain.

Other activities

Why not use 2Paint A Picture to recreate a VE Day street party.  Children can use the WW2 parachute jump mashcam and think about what it would have been like to jump out of an aeroplane over Normandy 76 years ago. Children can try our VE Day quiz and use 2Quiz to create their own and share with others in the class. Children could also take The Turing Test and ensure that the Enigma machine works correctly.

There are plenty more activities to explore in the VE Day area.

Whatever you do to commemorate VE day we would love to see your work on Twitter @2SimpleSoftware or @PurpleMash, or on Facebook @2SimpleUK.