Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
After 6 long years of war, Germany surrendered unconditionally to the Allied forces on May 7th, 1945. A day later, the official documentation of surrender was signed, and Allied celebrations erupted around the world to mark Victory in Europe Day on May 8th. To mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, eight veterans of the war remember how they learned of victory, and how they celebrated the momentous occasion.
Full video launches May 8.
Join our mailing list: historicacanada.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=8b239f6d4c109489e40480d52&id=307fa49399
SUBSCRIBE to learn more about Canada:
youtube.com/c/HistoricaCanada
Version française: [insert URL]
On September 10th, 1939, Canada declared war on Germany in the aftermath of Hitler’s invasion of Poland. For six long years, Canadian service members, men and women, fought to secure victory on land, air, and sea. At home, Canadian civilians waited anxiously for the return of loved ones and supported the war effort in their communities. May 8th, 1945, Victory in Europe Day, signified the first conclusion of the war: the end of nearly six years of brutality and violence in Europe.
This video is produced by the Memory Project, a program of Historica Canada, using audio recordings from the Memory Project Archive. For more stories of service, visit thememoryproject.com.
FOLLOW HISTORICA CANADA!
Instagram: instagram.com/historicacanada/
X: twitter.com/HistoricaCanada
TikTok: tiktok.com/@historicacanada
Facebook: facebook.com/Historica.Canada/
Pinterest: pinterest.ca/historicac/_saved/
Further reading/resources:
thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ve-day-victory-in-europe
thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ve-day-riots
thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/liberation-of-holland
historicacanada.ca/productions/guides/second-world-war-education-guide
thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/collection/second-world-warr
thememoryproject.com/book-a-speaker
More educational content at:
historicacanada.ca
thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
Credits:
Illustrations by Jessie Durham @jessieeedurham
Featuring:
Clifton E. Stewart
Bill Tindall
Marge Plante
Harold Young
David Ward
Norman Jolly
Catherine (Kay) Stephens
Louis Curran
Stephanie Zidel (Narrator)
Music ID:
OCPMJYNV5NJLB2FV
After 6 long years of war, Germany surrendered unconditionally to the Allied forces on May 7th, 1945. A day later, the official documentation of surrender was signed, and Allied celebrations erupted around the world to mark Victory in Europe Day on May 8th. To mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, eight veterans of the war remember how they learned of victory, and how they celebrated the momentous occasion.
Full video launches May 8.
Join our mailing list: historicacanada.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=8b239f6d4c109489e40480d52&id=307fa49399
SUBSCRIBE to learn more about Canada:
youtube.com/c/HistoricaCanada
Version française: [insert URL]
On September 10th, 1939, Canada declared war on Germany in the aftermath of Hitler’s invasion of Poland. For six long years, Canadian service members, men and women, fought to secure victory on land, air, and sea. At home, Canadian civilians waited anxiously for the return of loved ones and supported the war effort in their communities. May 8th, 1945, Victory in Europe Day, signified the first conclusion of the war: the end of nearly six years of brutality and violence in Europe.
This video is produced by the Memory Project, a program of Historica Canada, using audio recordings from the Memory Project Archive. For more stories of service, visit thememoryproject.com.
FOLLOW HISTORICA CANADA!
Instagram: instagram.com/historicacanada/
X: twitter.com/HistoricaCanada
TikTok: tiktok.com/@historicacanada
Facebook: facebook.com/Historica.Canada/
Pinterest: pinterest.ca/historicac/_saved/
Further reading/resources:
thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ve-day-victory-in-europe
thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ve-day-riots
thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/liberation-of-holland
historicacanada.ca/productions/guides/second-world-war-education-guide
thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/collection/second-world-warr
thememoryproject.com/book-a-speaker
More educational content at:
historicacanada.ca
thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
Credits:
Illustrations by Jessie Durham @jessieeedurham
Featuring:
Clifton E. Stewart
Bill Tindall
Marge Plante
Harold Young
David Ward
Norman Jolly
Catherine (Kay) Stephens
Louis Curran
Stephanie Zidel (Narrator)
Music ID:
OCPMJYNV5NJLB2FV
