Kitty Booth Clibborn
Event: VE Day celebrations in London.
Who: Anne Booth-Clibborn, my mum.
This is special to me because: What a piece of living history she has recorded!
Anne Forrester joined the army (Auxiliary Territorial Service) aged 17 in 1943. She drove an ambulance in Woolwich, South London until the end of the war in 1945 when she attended the VE Day celebrations.
She was then sent to Germany and served in the British Army of the Rhine where she drove a Staff Car taking officers all over bombed out parts of Germany. In 1946 she was sent back to represent the army at the Victory March in London. She stayed in the army for another year before finally leaving in 1947 when she went to study psychology at St Andrews University. Anne, now 94, is still living independently at home in Edinburgh.
-----
The long letter about VE Day described in a letter from Pte Ann Forester to her mother
Pte Forrester AR
Mill Lane House
New Road
Woolwich
SE18
May 9th 1945
My darling Mummy
My letter writing this week is certainly setting up an all time record but I’m afraid I’ll forget everything I have seen if I don’t write at once.
After I had finished my last letter the lights, searchlights and hooters all continued and about 11.45 there was a terrific thunder storm which seemed to silence all the man-made light and noise. There were terrific flashes of lightning and long peals of thunder.
Yesterday – Tuesday – the army treated as a Sunday so we had late breakfast – fried eggs! Margaret and I were both on duty so we had to hang about. We had quite a long run down the river to Erith to pick up a man sick on leave. All the way down people were putting up flags and looking so happy. It was incredible to see the way flags and bunting appeared on houses practically blasted to bits and bunting was hung right over the street. We all had to parade down in the yard when we got back and the Major gave us a talk. He said we all had to remember that there was no such thing as a good German and that they were all snakes and vipers and there was to be no sentiment about it and he hoped that none of us or our children would ever trust a German again! I rather fail to see what good that did but I don’t think many people were listening.
Margaret and I had a sleeping out pass for Tuesday night and today and we had booked beds up in town so we were allowed off after dinner. The trains were absolutely jammed tight and we couldn’t get on the first one at all.
When we got out at Charing Cross the crowds were seething in every direction. It was quite hopeless to get any transport so we started to walk to Victoria.
The only way to get across Trafalgar Square was to get behind a bus and press it across. It meant we took about six small steps a minute. Every car, truck, and lorry that was there was snowed under with people on top and holding on all around. It was really an amazing sight to see masses and masses of people seething in every direction as far as you could see. It was really an amazingly quiet and orderly crowd because nobody was in a hurry and everybody was so happy. The whole day we only saw two airmen who were anything like drunk and they were only “happy”.
After fighting our way over Trafalgar Square we joined the crowd moving down The Mall and to the Palace. There were movie camera men taking photos and I think we got included. We must have just missed the King at the Palace but we skirted round the worst of the crowd and went to the hostel. It was lovely to see all the people in summer dresses sitting on the grass among hundreds and hundreds of red and white tulips which are all around the Victoria Memorial.
You could scarcely see the Memorial for the swarms of people holding onto every projection. By this time we thought we were a bit foot sore and decided a cup of tea would be a good idea. Transport was almost at a stand still so we had to walk. We went right up from Hyde Park Corner to the Marble Arch and watched the scores of people in holiday mood strolling about or eating sandwiches. There was nothing doing there so we came back down Park Lane and decided to make for the Nuffield Centre which was at the other side of Piccadilly. That was easier said than done because all traffic had had to stop and Piccadilly and Green Park were just seething mobs of humanity. Eventually we managed to make our way through by going round side streets. There were men up all the street lamps and posts of any description and every now and then there would be a break in the crowed and an improvised procession would wend its way through with flags flying and singing lustily to the accompanying of a drum, comb, mouth organ or accordion.
The people were mostly just standing still or slowly oozing in one direction. We took one look at the Nuffield Centre and its very walls seemed to be creaking so we decided that is was no go because if by a miracle we did squeeze in we would certainly never get out! By this time we were dreadfully hot and dying for a cup of tea. We made as much of a bee line as we could for the Charing Cross Youth Hostel and were in time to join on the queue and got a cup of tea and a bun. Food was obviously going to be a difficulty and we were getting a bit peckish so we thought we better go and stoke up. Everywhere was full so there was nothing for it but to trek over to our hostel. That brought us past Buckingham Palace again and there were about twice as many people there. They were all cheering and flag waving and shouting “We want the King”. After nearly shouting ourselves hoarse the King, Queen and two princesses did come out onto the balcony. The crowd nearly went mad and threw anything and everything up in the air. Men climbed up on the gates and conducted the cheering.
After that the crowd dispersed and we went off and had quite a good supper. After supper we went and lay on our beds with our shoes off and feet up for about half an hour and then had a wash and sallied out again about 8.30 thinking we would get a seat in front of the Palace and be able to hear the Kings speech. As soon as we were on the street we got carried along in the crowd that was assembling from every direction and moving steadily towards the Palace. We managed to worm our way to the front where we could see the balcony and were just underneath the loudspeakers. As far as we could see there was a sifting sea of faces and red, white and blue flags.
We heard the Kings speech very plainly indeed and the crowd was incredibly quiet although the ambulance men were very busy picking up people who had passed out. There was terrific applause and then the crowd sang God Save the King and For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow. The King and Queen and two princesses came out again about 9.30 and the crowd was nearly deafening. When they went in we had decided we would go towards Westminster but after trying for a minute or two we discovered it was quite impossible and that the only thing to do was to move with the crowd. We managed to push our way to the edge without getting our feet trampled on and a bit bruised. We stood and watched for about an hour while they gradually put on all the standard lamps and the flood lights. Whenever a light went on the crowd cheered and when one went out they groaned. In between they sang Land of Hope and Glory, Jerusalem and various other songs. By this time it was a lovely evening and not so hot. Just as the King finished his speech a belt of clouds had moved overhead and from then on the sky was completely clear.
While we were waiting people let off thunder flashes and shot hundreds of Verey lights of all colours up into the air above the Palace. The Palace looked beautiful in the bright flood lights and the Royal Standard was fluttering right up against the dark sky. Every now and then a pigeon would be caught in the light and would flutter off behind the building. Planes were flying overhead and they dipped whenever they passed over the Palace. Each plane got a cheer as did anyone who climbed on the gates to conduct the cheering or singing. I believe there were 100,000 people there. Certainly there were far more than I could ever see.
When it got really dark the crowds shouted more and more and eventually the Royal Family came out again. The King was in Naval Uniform and the Queen wore a lovely white frock with a diamond tiara. Princess Elizabeth was in ATS uniform and Princess Margaret in a blue frock. The crowds cheered and sang for ages and the whole place was as bright as day although the sky was pitch dark except for the Verey lights and the planes identification lights. We moved off down towards Pall Mall with masses of other people all singing and happy tho’ not rowdy. As we got about half way down there was a huge bonfire on the right and the people were silhouetted against it as they passed by in either direction. We met hundreds of people coming in the opposite direction and everybody was singing and laughing. When we got down to the Admiralty Arch the centre part was flood lit white and the side bits were a lovely green. They had search lights on the top that they played down on the crowd.
Trafalgar Square was full of people and light. South Africa house had a sort of interior lighting so that the pillars stood up dark and the National Gallery was beautifully lit. Nelson had about five spot lights on him from roof tops and he seemed to be to be looking down from high above everybody. We turned down Whitehall and passed the Horse Guards Parade that looked like a fairy castle. The Air Ministry had hundreds of big flags of all the nations hanging outside and the lights were playing on them and right at the end we could see a Union Jack right up on top of the houses of Parliament rippling in the wind. It looked as if it wasn’t attached to the earth at all because the building was in darkness. As we rounded the corner, we saw Big Ben brilliantly lit up and all the traceries looked like lace in the bright light. We crossed onto Westminster Bridge and saw the reflections of all the lights rippling in the water right down to the bend in the river.
By this time we were wishing we could put our feet in our pockets or discard them completely so we decided it was time to go home. Unfortunately we had about a mile to walk and no chance of transport.
We passed several other buildings outlined with lights that twinkled through the trees. As we got into the Park we could see everyone moving to and fro among the trees by the light of bonfires and Verey lights. About this time hundreds of search lights lit up and started weaving all over the sky. They produced the most wonderful rippling effect like moving water and seemed to come from all directions. As we got near the Palace we saw there were still thousands there and we could hear the shouting. Through a gap in the trees we saw the King and Queen out on the balcony again but the princesses weren’t there – I hear they were out mixing with the crowd accompanied by two Guards Officers!
We staggered on and saw people preparing to spend the night anywhere they could doss down. We got back to the hostel just after midnight and tumbled into bed. All the other girls seemed just as footsore as we were but they all seemed thrilled by everything they had seen.
It really was a wonderful experience and, although it will take my feet days to recover I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. I only wish we had seen the Prime Minister but it was really impossible to go chasing all over the place. It was astonishing how good tempered everyone was even when they were tired and had no prospect of a bed for the night. I didn’t hear a single cross word the whole day and everybody seemed in a very holiday mood.
We didn’t get up till fairly late this morning and had breakfast and then went out to find everybody looking as footsore as we felt. We managed to get on a bus to Charing Cross and everything looked a little “the morning after” compared with the last time we had seen it. We left our haversacks at the station and went out to Trafalgar Square. We went in St Martins in the Field on the chance that there would be a service and were just in time for a short thanksgiving one. It is a very nice friendly church and there were a lot of people there. There didn’t seem to be so many people about so we managed to get into Lyons for dinner. After quite a good meal we went round to the Nuffield Centre and I started this letter. It was amusing to see people sitting about in the last stages of exhaustion and yet with a sort of glow of satisfaction with their shoes off and their feet up.
We went up to the Palace Theatre and managed to get into the gallery to see Gay Rosalinda as there were no free tickets going. The music was by Strauss and the whole show was first class. The caste really seemed to be enjoying themselves and I had seen several of them in shows before. It always seems rather a come down to have to pay to sit so high up, but in spite of that we could really see very well indeed. When we got down it was pouring with rain so everybody was trying to keep out of it and under cover. We went down to Piccadilly but there were too many people about and too few places to eat so, after some discussion, we decided that we would just come back as our feet just wouldn’t keep us going any longer! It seemed odd coming back so early but we have both bathed and had a cup of tea and are now sitting up in bed overlooking the docks scribbling away.
I don’t really expect you to be able to plough through this epistle but perhaps sometime if you have a day in bed you might be able to get through it. Could you please keep it as I would like to remember what we did and I just haven’t the energy to write it all down again.
We are all going to get an extra 48 hours leave as a sort of celebration. We can either add it to our leave or have it by itself. My next leave is due on June 29 so I think I’ll keep it till then but if we are allowed travelling time I might come home.
I have got writers cramp and this is positively my last sheet of paper besides having a crick in my back so I will really have to stop.
I hope David is getting on well and that all the family is flourishing and that you have had good celebrations. I don’t think we really realise yet what the end of the war in Europe will mean but I suppose it will have its effect gradually upon us. The married women expect to get out in about six weeks or two months but I don’t know about the rest of us and I don’t even know what I want to do. I am going to miss the army and I think we all feel like that tho’ we grumble and grouse and wouldn’t like to stay in.
Margaret and I are booking tickets for the big Albert Hall concert on Empire Day and by then it will only be about a month till my leave. The time really seems to fly and the weeks roll by in no time.
Must stop now, I’ll draw you a map to show our gallivanting
Lots and lots and lots of love, Mummy
Anne.
