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VE Day: Then and now
  • File photo dated 08/05/45 showing huge crowds at Trafalgar Square, London, celebrating VE (Victory in Europe) Day in London, marking the end of the Second World War in Europe, 75 years ago, and how it looked 2/5/2020.
  • The Royal Air Force Red Arrows pass over the London Eye on the bank of the River Thames during a flypast in central London to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
  • Piper Louise Marshall plays at dawn along Edinburgh's Portobello Beach overlooking the Firth of Forth on the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
  • File photo dated 09/05/45 showing huge crowds at Mansion House, with the Lord Mayor of London on the balcony, celebrating VE (Victory in Europe) Day in London, marking the end of the Second World War in Europe, 75 years ago, and how it looked 2/5/2020.
  • File photo dated 08/05/45 showing huge crowds at Whitehall, London, celebrating VE (Victory in Europe) Day in London, marking the end of the Second World War in Europe, 75 years ago, and how it looked 2/5/2020.
  • File photo dated 01/06/45 showing showing Sir Winston Churchill leaving the Houses of Parliament in London on victory day celebrations marking the end of the Second World War in Europe, now 75 years ago, and how it looked 2/5/2020.
  • An ambulance worker watches as the Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team flies over Horse Guards Parade in London on Friday, May 8, 2020 on the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. The 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe should be all about parades, remembrances, and one last great hurrah for veteran soldiers who are mostly in their nineties. Instead, it is a time of coronavirus lockdown and loneliness spent in search of memories both bitter and sweet. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
  • File photo dated 8/5/1945 of British men, women and children celebrating 'Victory in Europe Day' in the street.
  • Graves of French soldiers killed during World War II are picture at the military cemetery in Sigolsheim , eastern France, Friday May 8, 2020. Ceremonies to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, the formal end of World War II in Europe, happen in a time of lockdown and loneliness. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
  • Crowds surround Winston Churchill
  • French President Emmanuel Macron looks up at the statue of General Charles de Gaulle during VE Day ceremonies Friday May 8, 2020 in Paris. The 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe should be all about parades, remembrances, and one last great hurrah for veteran soldiers who are mostly in their nineties. Instead, it is a time of coronavirus lockdown and loneliness spent in search of memories both bitter and sweet. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, Pool)
  • The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle (right) and Prime Minister Boris Johnson process towards the RAF Chapel within Westminster Abbey in London during a visit ahead of commemorations to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
  • File photo dated 8/5/1945 of young London residents celebrate VE-Day, (Victory-in-Europe Day) marking the end of the war in Europe, amidst the ruins of their home in Battersea.
  • A Russian soldier grads at the Soviet War memorial at the boulevard 'Strasse des 17. Juni' during commemorations to mark the 75th anniversary of Victory Day and the end of WWII in Europe in Berlin, Germany, Friday, May 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
  • Graves at the closed American Military Cemetery of Epinal, eastern France, are pictured Friday May 8, 2020. The 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe should be all about parades, remembrances, and one last great hurrah for veteran soldiers who are mostly in their nineties. Instead, it is a time of coronavirus lockdown and loneliness spent in search of memories both bitter and sweet. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
  • File photo dated 08/05/45 of huge crowds at Trafalgar Square celebrate VE (Victory in Europe) Day in London, marking the end of the Second World War in Europe.
  • The residents of Cambrian Road in Chester dress up in 1945 clothing and have a social distancing tea party to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
  • A guardsman takes off his cape as people take pictures of a memorial in London, Friday, May 8, 2020 on the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. The 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe should be all about parades, remembrances, and one last great hurrah for veteran soldiers who are mostly in their nineties. Instead, it is a time of coronavirus lockdown and loneliness spent in search of memories both bitter and sweet. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
  • The statue of Britain's wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill stands in an almost empty Parliament Square in London, Friday, May 8, 2020 on the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. The 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe should be all about parades, remembrances, and one last great hurrah for veteran soldiers who are mostly in their nineties. Instead, it is a time of coronavirus lockdown and loneliness spent in search of memories both bitter and sweet. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
  • A cyclist passes a sculpture by Lawrence Holofcener called "Allies" featuring bronze figures of Winston Churchill and Franklin D Roosevelt, as the country is in lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus, in London, Thursday, May 7, 2020. Unlike the mass street celebrations in 1945, surviving veterans are marking V-E Day this year in virus confinement, sharing memories with loved ones, instead of in the company of comrades on public parade. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
  • The residents of Cambrian Road in Chester dress up in 1945 clothing and have a social distancing tea party to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
  • A display by the Ministry of Defence and the British Legion on the Lights in Piccadilly Circus in central London to thank Second World War Veterans and to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
  • A display by the Ministry of Defence and the British Legion on the Lights in Piccadilly Circus in central London to thank Second World War Veterans and to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
  • The residents of Cambrian Road in Chester dress up in 1945 clothing and have a social distancing tea party to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
  • File photo dated 10/05/15 showing Guardsmen of the Scots Guards marching during the VE Day Parade to mark the 70th anniversary of VE Day, celebrating VE (Victory in Europe) Day in London, marking the end of the Second World War in Europe now 75 years ago, and how it looked 2/5/2020.
  • Pipe major Andy Reid of The Scots Guards plays his pipes on the cliffs of Dover, Kent, as two Spitfires from the Battle of Britain memorial flight fly overhead, ahead of commemorations to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

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