Westminster Abbey and VE Day

On Victory in Europe Day, 8 May 1945, some 25,000 people went to Westminster Abbey to give thanks at short services of ‘thanksgiving for victory’ which were held every hour from 9.00am to 10.00pm. An estimated 25,000 people attended during the day, with the Lord Chancellor and the House of Lords attending at 3.00pm.

A service was also held in the Abbey the following Sunday, 13 May, when the standards of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa were laid on the High Altar to symbolise the loyalty of the whole Empire during the war.

Ahead of VE Day 2020 on Friday discover the Abbey in wartime, how the Abbey celebrated the end of the war, and how it continues to remember those who served.  Follow the link to Westminster Abbey.