VE Day 80: Incredibly rare photos of Sunderland people on VE Day in 1945
These photos speak a thousand words - of joy and sheer relief in Sunderland on VE Day.
On May 8, 1945, these were the incredible scenes in Brady Street and Featherstone Street.
Years of air raids, rationing and hardship
The people of Wearside had come through more than five years of air raids, rationing, hardship, and grief.
Their homes had been destroyed yet somehow, townsfolk somehow put together street parties to celebrate peace in Europe.
These incredibly rare pictures have been kindly shared with us by Sunderland Antiquarian Society.
‘Makeshift bunting hangs from washing lines’
Look at the people of Brady Street sitting at tables laden with food and drink, while makeshift bunting hangs from washing lines above them.
There were similar scenes in Featherstone Street where children ate sandwiches and drank from mugs as mums walked round the tables with tea pots offering refills.
The two photos are just a small selection of the 80-year-old photos which the Antiquarian Society has shared with us.
Share your family’s VE Day memories
And as we count down to the 80th anniversary celebrations of VE Day next month, we want your family’s memories of this momentous occasion.
Did one of your relatives often speak of the street parties, the celebrations and the joy which spread across Sunderland at the end of the war in Europe?
Or perhaps a member of your family was a hero who served in one of the great battles of the Second World War.
Get in touch and share those precious memories by emailing [email protected]