Marshland High School and Walpole Cross Keys school youngsters celebrate VE Day 80th anniversary

School youngsters who also serve in the Uniformed Services were proudly front and centre of VE Day commemorations.

Marshland High School held a series of events to mark the 80th anniversary, and staff were asked to share their family stories from the Second World War to bring the experiences to life.

“Stories have included a nan who narrowly avoided an air raid bomb in King’s Lynn, and a grandad who was shot in the hip and spent the rest of his life with the bullet inside him,” history teacher Lydia Beatty said.

“I grew up listening to stories of wartime and the Blitz from my grandparents. Sadly, for the next generation this isn’t going to be possible so it’s important that we continue to mark these days so the significance of those who fought is never lost.”

The stories have been shared with students, and they were also encouraged to speak to their own family members to see if there were any stories from the war.

How VE Day unfolded and what its impact was at the time were among lessons during the anniversary, and students listened to some music of the time - including Vera Lynn - before holding a two-minute silence to reflect on those who lost their lives.

Elsewhere, red, white and blue were definitely the colours of the day when children marked the anniversary at Walpole Cross Keys Primary School.

Children were asked to wear clothing in the three colours, and they learnt more about the historic day during a special morning assembly.

Assistant head heacher Billy Overton said: “We discussed what happened and how people felt at the end of the war.

“Classes have also been working together to make two whole-school collages by painting a number of poppies red, white and blue and putting them together to create the artwork.

“We are hoping to display them all to parents later today.”