Voices Of War project brings VE Day 1945 into people’s homes
The initiative draws on first-hand accounts from the Imperial War Museum’s sound archive.
First-hand accounts from an army nurse who served in Egypt, a Jamaican aircraftsman, and a Jewish man who spent six weeks in a concentration camp are being released to help mark VE Day.
They form part of the Imperial War Museum’s (IWM) Voices Of War project, which goes live on Friday.
The museum aims to mark the 75th anniversary of the momentous day by bringing voices of the past into people’s homes across the country.
It brings together first-hand accounts of VE Day from IWM’s sound archive, ranging from an army nurse who served in Egypt at the time and a Jamaican aircraftsman who emigrated to the UK aboard the Empire Windrush in 1948, to a Jewish man from Berlin who spent six weeks in Sachsenhausen concentration camp, and prime minister Winston Churchill.
“Due to the current situation, this is no longer possible.
“However, the need to commemorate this national anniversary and to remember the sacrifices made on our behalf by past generations is as pressing as ever.”
She continued: “We want the public to reflect on this important historical milestone as many others did 75 years ago – in the privacy of their own kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms and gardens – and be part of this important national moment with IWM and with the rest of the country.”
