In the long history of England, Scotland and Wales there had never been such heartfelt celebrations like those that greeted Victory in Europe Day on 8 May 1945.
Tens of thousands of street parties brought millions of people out of their homes to join with their kin and neighbours in joyfully acclaiming peace and the end of a bitter, remorseless conflict that had threatened the very being of the nation.
On two outstanding previous occasions, our land had been swept with a mood of thanksgiving, relief and happiness that powerful foreign enemies had been defeated and that an invasion had been staved off.
The first of these was in 1588. In the summer of that year great bonfires had been lit from the English Channel to the Scottish borders and from the Irish Sea to the North Sea to warn of the approach of the Spanish Armada.
Sent by Philip II to punish England for its resolute independence of action and for siding with Spain's enemies, this was one of the biggest and best-organised fleets that had ever put to sea.
Made up of 130 galleons, merchantmen, galleys and various small craft, it boasted 10,000 sailors and 20,000 tough soldiers belonging to the greatest empire in the Western world.
Sighted off the Lizard on the evening 19 July, the Armada posed a formidable threat, but over the next few weeks and through a combination of fierce winds, heavy seas and dogged attacks by English "sea dogs" such as Hawkins, Frobisher and Drake, that mighty gathering of ships was broken up and half of it was destroyed.
The defeat of the Spanish Armada was regarded as almost miraculous by the English and was greeted with an enthusiasm deeply affected by religious sentiment. Church bells pealed, huzzahs were shouted, bonfires were lit now in delight and pride and not fear, and Queen Elizabeth I ordered that various medals be struck to commemorate the remarkable victory. One of them was inscribed with the Latin words "Afflavit Deus et dissipantur" - "God blew with his breath, and they were scattered".
England, and this time Britain as well, faced a second fearsome threat to its existence in 1805. Led by Napoleon Bonaparte, one of history's most successful generals, the French armies had defeated all who had stood against them in Europe. Napoleon then resolved to invade Britain, the most defiant and determined enemy of France.
From late 1803, he gathered at Boulogne 2,000 flat-bottomed boats, which were to transport his 100,000-strong army across the English Channel. But this could not be done until the British blockade of French ports was lifted and the threat of the Royal Navy was removed.
On October 19, 1805, and in pursuit of his aims, Napoleon ordered the combined French and Spanish fleet to leave the port of Cadiz in Spain. Two days later battle was joined at Trafalgar.
The British were led by the legendary Nelson, the nation's most celebrated naval hero who had already won notable victories over the French. Out of 33 ships, the enemy lost 18 and a momentous triumph had been gained. But celebrations in Britain were muted by Nelson's death from wounds just after he was told of his success.
Word of the "glorious yet melancholy" victory reached the West Midlands from Plymouth on 11 November, when the only local paper, Aris's Birmingham Gazette, carried this notice:
"Never was the victorious banner so darkened and discoloured as this has been by the death of the glorious and intrepid Chief, through whose skilful arrangements, aided by congenial spirits, the conquest was achieved. This fell discord marred the general harmony of opinion. Every man smiled at the great news of victory; but when the price was told the smile was followed by a sigh.
"The general sensation was one of gladness chastened by sorrow, such as it has never before been our lot to witness. The bells were rang with clangs of joy, but those demonstrations of triumph were again softened by the mournful peal of muffled bells. The inhabitants did not illuminate their houses upon this occasion, because the hero . . . was no more!"
The Battle of Trafalgar was as vital as the Battle of Britain of 1940 in saving this nation from tyranny, but the tragic loss of Nelson meant that the end of the threat of a French invasion was not greeted with the same delight that infused every Briton on Tuesday 8 May 1945, Victory in Europe Day.
In fact the war in Europe had ended the day before, when Admiral Doenitz had announced the unconditional surrender of all German fighting troops.
Doenitz had become Fuhrer on May 1 when German radio had announced that Hitler had "fallen this afternoon at his command post in the Reich Chancellery (in Berlin), fighting to the last breath against Bolshevism and for Germany".
Formerly the commander of all U-boat operations, Doenitz had become Grand Admiral and Commander-in-Chief of German naval forces in 1943.
Regarded as a ruthless foe, in the broadcast announcing his leadership he vowed to "save the German people from destruction from Bolshevists" and declared that "as long as the British and Americans hamper us from reaching this end we shall fight and defend ourselves against them as well".
Thankfully, Doenitz failed. Germany's forces were in full retreat and its power was waning rapidly. In Italy, Mussolini, the fascist leader and ally of Hitler, had been executed by partisans on April 29, the same day that the German Army there had surrendered to Field Marshall Alexander.
This surrender was effective from May 2, on which date British troops entered Lubeck in northern Germany, thereby reaching the Baltic and the Red Army. Then on May 5, Field Marshall Montgomery accepted at Lunenburg Heath the German surrender in North Germany, Holland and Denmark.
To the east, the Russian Red Army had captured Berlin and was advancing remorselessly.
Nazi Germany was soon to be destroyed and Doenitz could not hold off defeat. Within days of taking over from Hitler, he had ordered all German U-boats to cease hostilities and return to their bases. This was reported early on the morning of May 7. That afternoon, the Danish Home Service, once again run by Danes and not Nazis, stated that the German forces in Norway had surrendered.
A few hours later, Count Schwerin von Krosigk, who had recently been made foreign minister, announced an unconditional surrender by the Germans, although it was later reported that German troops in Czechoslovakia intended to fight to the last. Despite this, by late afternoon news of the German surrender was spreading across Europe - but still no official confirmation came.
In Britain there was an air of taut expectancy, as if folk could not yet dare to hope that the end of the long and hard war was indeed nigh.
The town centres of the Black Country and Birmingham were busier than usual, as folk gathered cautiously to await the news they prayed for. Disappointment covered many faces, although a lightening of lines brought to the fore the expectation of peace.
Still, as the day went on and it seemed more and more likely that the war was over, Union Flags and some flags of the Allies began to be flown from shops and other business premises.
Even so, no official news came and at 4.45pm Supreme Headquarters authorised correspondents to make it clear that no official statement had as yet been made concerning the complete surrender of all German armed forces in Europe.
A few minutes later, an American reporter said that Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and Harry Truman, President of the United States of America, had intended to announce VE Day at 6pm, but that it had been postponed because Marshall Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union (Russia), was not ready.
Queues of people lined up to buy papers from sellers in the streets. Indeed, many vendors were swamped as soon as they left the newspaper offices.
Notwithstanding the delay in proclaiming VE Day, the evening papers were proclaiming that the Germans had surrendered. Encouraged by these positive reports, by night time people were casting off their tension and were beginning to believe that an official announcement was imminent.
Groups came together and paraded up and down the main streets, singing patriotic songs, hymns and popular songs. Away from the town centres, many householders freed themselves from the blackout and switched on the lights inside and outside their homes where possible.
The next morning, May 8, papers at last carried the news that it was "VE Day Today". Because newsprint was in short supply and rationed, coming as it did from paper mills in Canada and Sweden, newspapers had to cut back on the size of their papers.
Many were limited to just four pages of broadsheet size. They reported that at 3pm Mr Churchill was to broadcast the news that the war in Europe was at an end. The Ministry of Information communiqué added that May 8 and 9 would be public holidays and that theKing was to broadcast to the Empire and Commonwealth at 9pm that evening.
As ever, Churchill was stirring. He explained that hostilities would end officially at one minute after midnight on VE Day, but a Cease Fire had begun the day before so as to save lives - while "our dear Channel Islands are also to be freed today".
In some places German troops were continuing to fight the Red Army, but at 2.41am on Monday the Germans had signed the act of unconditional surrender "of all German land, sea and air forces in Europe to the Allied Expeditionary Force and simultaneously to the Soviet High Command".
The Prime Minister stressed that "today, perhaps, we shall think mostly of ourselves. Tomorrow we shall pay a particular tribute to our Russian comrades, whose prowess in the field has been one of the grand contributions to the general victory."
Churchill brought to the fore the fact that:
"After gallant France had been struck down we maintained the struggle single-handed for a whole year until we were joined by Soviet Russia and, later, by the overwhelming power and resources of the United States of America.
"Finally, almost the whole world was combined against the evil-doers who are now prostrate before us. Our gratitude to our splendid Allies goes forth from all our hearts in this island and throughout the British Empire.
"We may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing, but let us not forget for a moment the toil and efforts that lie ahead. Japan, with all her treachery and greed, remains unsubdued. The injury she has inflicted on Great Britain, the United States and other countries, and her detestable cruelties, call for justice and retribution.
"We must now devote all our strength and resources to the completion of our task, both at home and abroad. Advance Britannia! Long live the cause of freedom! God save the King!"
As that greatest of all English orators finished his exhortation, buglers of the Scots Guards sounded the Cease Fire.
Churchill then went to the House of Commons to make the same speech, after which he added his deep gratitude to the House "which has proved itself the strongest foundation for waging war that has ever been seen in the whole of our long history".
The strength of Parliamentary institutions had been able to both "preserve all the title deeds of democracy while waging war in the most stern and protracted form".
The Prime Minster then moved that the House of Commons should attend the Church of Saint Margaret, Westminster, "to give humble and reverent thanks to Almighty God for our deliverance from the threat of German domination".
Later that afternoon, Churchill drove from Downing Street to Buckingham Palace. Smoking his trademark cigar, he was rapturously cheered by throngs of people to which he waved and made his famous V for Victory sign.
He then appeared with the Royal Family on the balcony of the palace. When he left, the crowd cheered him and sang For He's A Jolly Good Fellow. Three times in three hours, King George V, Queen Elizabeth and Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret had to go out to the balcony to receive the acclaim of the huge crowds; and in between the two young princesses also mingled with the exultant host.
In the West Midlands, as elsewhere VE Day was marked by the pealing of church bells, the relaying by loudspeakers of the king's broadcast speech at 9pm, parades of Civil Defence organisations and, of course, street parties.
Overnight men and women had happily hung up bunting and flags, and it seemed that the poorer the neighbourhood the more colourful and plentiful were the decorations that garlanded the streets. As the preparations were made, they were accompanied by the bangs of fireworks that some people with foresight had saved from before the war - for there had been no public sale of fireworks for six years.
The day itself was a damp one, but not even the rain could mar the cheerfulness that abounded. Because of the bad weather, some parties took place in school halls or such like, but most were held in the street. And in many places, these parties had been planned for months.
Once the Battle of Normandy had been won in 1944 and it seemed that victory would come, the women who organised the charabanc trips for a street and the chaps who helped them had started to collect money from their neighbours, along with whatever food anyone could spare.
It wasn't easy in a time of rationing, but folks gave what they could, living as they did in a world where sharing was a way of life. So here and there were a couple of spoonfuls of sugar or tea, a packet of custard or jelly, and perhaps even the odd food coupon.
Working-class neighbourhoods had plenty of people skilled in arranging celebrations, having had experience with the Armistice Day parties of 1918 and with the Silver Jubilee celebrations of 1935 and the Coronation parties of 1937. So while some observers were surprised at how well organised the street parties were, there was no surprise to those who lived locally.
And many's the street where youngsters were given mementoes or Bibles and where they enjoyed themselves in fancy dress and games.
And then, when the children's' events were over, the pianos were brought out, the sing-songs began and the bonfires were lit - many of which boasted effigies of Hitler.
