Simon R. D. Roberts

On May 8, 1945, millions of civilians and armed forces personnel exuberantly celebrated on the streets of London. After years of nightly blackouts to lessen the threat of bombing raids, public buildings like Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament were lit with floodlights. Church bells rang out across the country, tugboats on the River Thames sounded their horns, and Union flags and bunting decorated buildings everywhere.