'I danced the soles off my shoes': Northern Irish citizens recall the jubilation of the original VE Day in 1945

The memorial – a museum based in Talbot Street in Belfast city centre – holds the memories in its archives and has sent a selection to the News Letter to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII in Europe.

They describe the spontaneous scenes of jubilation which broke out at towns all around the province.

Margaret Wilson spent her day at city hall in Belfast. She was 15 at the time.

“Everybody was in great form,” she said, adding “there were a lot of sailors all around city hall and they were grabbing girls and kissing them and we were making rings and we were dancing”.

She said: “Everybody was so joyous, you know, it was so wonderful. Sad of course for people whose relative didn’t come home … we had coming home parties for the troops and any relative who came home there was a party.”

Tommy Foy was out in Portadown, and recalls “rejoicings” and that “everybody was out”.

“The music and all was going. We belonged to an organisation at that time called the YCW – Young Christian Workers. There was a quare squad of us suspended for being into the kissing rings … doing a bit of a jig and then kissing.”

Alfred Entwistle was in Killyleagh, Co Down.

“A bonfire that night and then another bonfire when the Japanese surrendered,” he said.

“I remember that [and] not knowing the consequence of it all, really... walking a couple of miles to this bonfire and the band playing and an effigy of Hitler on top of it.”

Marcella Ward was at a street part in Ravenhill Avenue, east Belfast.

“The party was over, and I could barely walk home because the soles were falling off my shoes,” she said.

“I was what, about 12 or 13? And I had the soles danced off my shoes.”

Also at the same street was Lily Rodgers.

“Well, that was where I met my husband actually, on VE Day,” she said.

“He was out dancing and ... he must have been home on leave … it was great jubilation then you know.”