That’s it for our VE Day 75 liveblog today, thanks so much to all the readers who sent in their pictures and stories, I’ve found many of them incredibly moving and uplifting - and as always, thanks for reading along. Summary - Queen honours wartime generation as she praises Covid-19 response The Queen has delivered a poignant message to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day - praising the nation’s response to the coronavirus outbreak that has filled empty streets with “love and care”. As she remembered Britain’s Second World War sacrifices and the “joyous celebrations” that followed the end of fighting in Europe, the head of state paid tribute to the positive qualities of today’s generation. The tireless efforts of NHS staff, care and key workers, and communities helping the vulnerable, reflected a nation “those brave soldiers, sailors and airmen would recognise and admire,” said the Queen. And she highlighted the message of VE (Victory in Europe) Day that resonates with the country’s plight today - “Never give up, never despair”. Her televised address came at the end of national celebrations, curtailed due to the lockdown, marking 75 years to the day Britain and its Allies formally accepted Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender, following almost six years of brutal warfare. Speaking from Windsor Castle’s white drawing room, the Queen said in her pre-recorded message: The wartime generation knew that the best way to honour those who did not come back from the war, was to ensure that it didn’t happen again. The greatest tribute to their sacrifice is that countries who were once sworn enemies are now friends, working side by side for the peace, health and prosperity of us all. Today it may seem hard that we cannot mark this special anniversary as we would wish. Instead we remember from our homes and our doorsteps. But our streets are not empty; they are filled with the love and the care that we have for each other. And when I look at our country today, and see what we are willing to do to protect and support one another, I say with pride that we are still a nation those brave soldiers, sailors and airmen would recognise and admire. After the broadcast, the nation was invited to take part in sing-a-long of Dame Vera Lynn’s wartime anthem We’ll Meet Again, during the BBC’s VE Day 75 show. The Queen’s words were her second televised address during the coronavirus outbreak and followed her speech to the country on 5 April, when she delivered a message of hope, saying if we remained resolute in the face of the outbreak “we will overcome it”. And she echoed Dame Vera’s words by telling those in lockdown “we will meet again”. The Queen’s father King George VI was an important part of her speech which was broadcast at 9pm, the exact time of his radio address to the nation on 8 May 1945. At the conclusion of the Queen’s address, a recording shows people across the country - including NHS staff and other key workers, and celebrities - singing the classic wartime song, We’ll Meet Again, made famous by Dame Vera Lynn. She concludes her address with a reference to the coronavirus crisis, which has led to social distanced versions of celebrations across the country. Today it may seem hard that we cannot mark this special anniversary as we would wish. Instead we remember from our homes and our doorsteps. But our streets are not empty; they are filled with the love and the care that we have for each other. And when I look at our country today, and see what we are willing to do to protect and support one another, I say with pride that we are still a nation those brave soldiers, sailors and airmen would recognise and admire. I send my warmest good wishes to you all. She goes on to note that while VE Day prompted celebrations across the continent, it did not mark the end of the war. I vividly remember the jubilant scenes my sister and I witnessed with our parents and Winston Churchill from the balcony of Buckingham Palace. The sense of joy in the crowds who gathered outside and across the country was profound, though while we celebrated the victory in Europe, we knew there would be further sacrifice. It was not until August that fighting in the Far East ceased and the war finally ended. Many people laid down their lives in that terrible conflict. They fought so we could live in peace, at home and abroad. Queen Elizabeth starts her speech reflecting back on World War Two. I speak to you today at the same hour as my father did, exactly 75 years ago. His message then was a salute to the men and women at home and abroad who had sacrificed so much in pursuit of what he rightly called a ‘great deliverance’. The war had been a total war; it had affected everyone, and no one was immune from its impact. Whether it be the men and women called up to serve; families separated from each other; or people asked to take up new roles and skills to support the war effort, all had a part to play. At the start, the outlook seemed bleak, the end distant, the outcome uncertain. But we kept faith that the cause was right - and this belief, as my father noted in his broadcast, carried us through. Never give up, never despair - that was the message of VE Day. The address starts with a recording of that original 1945 broadcast. After we hear Big Ben chime, an announcer says: “This is London. His Majesty King George VI”. We then hear the late King say: Let us remember the men of all the services and the women in all of the services who have laid down their lives. We have come to the end of our tribulation and they are not with us at the moment of our rejoicing. Queen addresses nation on VE Day anniversary The Queen is addressing the nation at 9pm to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day. BBC One will broadcast a pre-recorded address by the Queen at the exact moment her father, King George VI, gave a radio address on 8 May 1945. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were left tickled pink by stories of Churchill’s “secret” birthday message to his son when they chatted to Second World War veterans about their VE Day memories. Champagne was flowing when William and Kate made a video call on Wednesday to residents of an East Sussex care home to listen to them reminisce about the day the war ended in Europe on 8 May 1945. William praised the efforts of the wartime generation, and told them: “Because we can’t be together, everyone’s still thinking of you all today, and are very proud of everything you’ve all achieved.” Kate revealed Prince George and Princess Charlotte have been asked by their teachers to learn Dame Vera Lynn’s famous wartime anthem. She said: “The school has set all the children a challenge and they’re currently trying to learn the lyrics to the song We’ll Meet Again... so it’s been really lovely having that playing every day.” The residents had started their VE Day celebrations early, and when the royal couple asked what they would do when the Covid-19 outbreak was over, the sprightly group said they would hold VC Day - “Victory over Coronavirus”. With a glass of bubbly nearby, Charles Ward, the oldest resident at Mais House, a Royal British Legion care home in Bexhill-on-Sea, joked about how he served tots of rum to fellow servicemen on VE Day. “We were in Greece at the time, and I had to go round early in the morning with rum for all the men,” he said with a laugh. William replied: “I bet you were the hero of the time there Charles, delivering rum out to everybody.” Ward, aged 101, had a varied military career during the war and, after first being called up into the London Irish Rifles, he later served in North Africa before joining the Special Operations Executive to encrypt, or cipher, messages from British agents parachuted into France and Italy. The veteran, from South Kirkby in Yorkshire, told the Cambridges about working on “secret” messages from wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill. The duke said Valerie Glassborow, Kate’s paternal grandmother, was a civilian member of staff at the wartime code-breaking centre Bletchley Park, where her twin sister Mary was also employed. The duchess, who was just one of a number of royals who have chatted to veterans this week, said: “It’s so sad that she’s not here today, as I would love to speak to her more about it.” Ward later described the correspondence he received from the wartime leader, saying: The message came from Churchill, I had to decipher it, re-encipher it and send it to his son in Yugoslavia to say, ‘Happy Birthday’. And then there was another one from the son to Churchill himself to say congratulations on your speech in Parliament. When I told William and Kate that story, they giggled. Mais House went into lockdown before the Government issued social distancing rulings, has remained virus free and has been receiving supplies of personal protection equipment for staff, said Sue Barnes, the registered home manager. Every year, Croydon Commitment runs a tea party for veterans to celebrate their service to our armed forces. This year, volunteers, alongside members of the army, have packed 100 bags full of treats including wine and chocolate and are delivering to veterans across the whole borough of Croydon. Caroline Bannock Here is another lovely contribution from a Guardian reader. Vicki Nightingale sent in this photograph of her grandparents, the second world war veteran Cyril Gillard, 94, and his wife, Betsy, 92, celebrating VE Day with a special tea at their home in Ellesmere Port in Cheshire. She also sent this account of Cyril’s experiences in the war. On VE Day 1945 Cyril was in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) on board the HMS Tartar as they were still involved in the war in the Far East. They celebrated onboard the ship by ‘splicing the mainbrace’ – an order given for the crew to have an alcoholic drink – but unfortunately, due to Cyril’s age at the time, he was unable to have a tot of rum. During the war he served on board the HMS Tartar, a Tribal-class destroyer which was one of eight Royal Navy ships engaged in heavy combat trying to keep the English Channel free of enemy crafts during D-Day. In 2017 he was honoured by the French government, receiving the highest French order of military merit, the Legion D’Honneur, for his role in the D-Day landings. Thousands have watched an online performance of Katherine Jenkins singing in front of an empty Royal Albert Hall as she marked the 75th anniversary of VE Day. The mezzo-soprano singer, 39, performed wartime favourites in the concert, which was streamed on YouTube and has now been watched by more than 13,000 people. Her performance also featured a virtual duet with the Forces’ Sweetheart Dame Vera Lynn, who entertained troops during the second world war. Jenkins sang Lynn’s We’ll Meet Again alongside archive footage and audio from one of her wartime performances. During the show, Jenkins said: On this anniversary, we are here to appreciate those who gave so much so that we could live our lives in peace and freedom. Today, the Royal Albert Hall stands empty, just as it did during the Blitz, without its true life force – the audiences who fill it with energy night after night. But the doors will open again, as they did following the last world war, and the music will play on. Before her performance began, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, delivered a message to mark the anniversary. “Just as we united to achieve victory back then, I am confident that together we will overcome adversity again,” he said. Jenkins said the event left her “speechless” and was “one of the most incredible experiences of my career”. She added: “I have sound-checked here many times before for my own concerts so thought I’d know how it might feel today, but it really was something special.” The concert was in support of the Royal Albert Hall’s fundraising appeal and armed forces charity SSAFA’s emergency response fund. Terry Clark, a Battle of Britain veteran, died yesterday aged 101, just hours before the 75th anniversary of VE Day. Clark died on Thursday evening in a care home from natural causes, leaving one surviving member of “The Few” who took to the skies in the summer of 1940. Clark served as a radar operator on Beaufighters during the second world war and was one of two remaining air crew, known as The Few, who took to the skies to defend the UK against attacks from the Luftwaffe, Nazi Germany’s air force, in the Battle of Britain. The death of Clark, who had celebrated his 101st birthday earlier this year, leaves John “Paddy” Hemingway as the last surviving member. The RAF Benevolent Fund controller, Air Vice-Marshal Chris Elliot, said: Our condolences go to Terry’s family and friends at this sad time. This news is especially poignant as we remember the bravery and sacrifice of all those who fought for us today, the 75th anniversary of VE Day. Terry belonged to a generation of servicemen and women who answered their country’s call without question. We owe a debt of gratitude to every one of them and their legacy must be to remember their service. John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway is now the last surviving member of The Few and in September we will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the battle. The RAF Benevolent Fund will be paying tribute to those pilots and air crew who ‘gave so much to so many’. We honour their memory by supporting the second world war and National Service veterans who need our help, before it is too late. Trumpeters and buglers up and down the country played The Last Post to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day. The piece is often played at military memorials, and was taken up by dozens of musicians across the UK to mark the day that commemorates the end of the second world war in Europe. Among those involved was Paul Cartwright, from Ryhill near Wakefield. He is part of the West Yorkshire police band, which plays in Ypres every year on 11 November. The 48-year-old Church of England priest told the PA news agency: It was to be able to honour those who gave their life for us, and also to honour those who are working so hard for us now in the armed forces, to help with all the Nightingale hospitals and all the logistics. It was to get the community involved and to give a bit of thanks for the peace that was brought on VE Day. Grace Harman, a 17-year-old A-level student from Kesgrave in Suffolk, said it was important to her to “pay homage to all the people who sacrificed”. She told PA: “I knew today was going to be very poignant and a lot of people have been turning to music.” Cartwright said that by playing the same piece up and down the country, musicians could fulfil a unique role at a time when people were social distancing because of the coronavirus. It’s a way musicians can try and unite the community at this strange time where so many people are isolated. It was interesting to see people stopping as they came by on their walks and just have a moment as they were listening to The Last Post. It was quite moving, actually. Harman agreed that the unique situation in the world added an extra layer of resonance to the music, calling it “especially poignant”. She said: “It’s so still. For the trumpet, the part is quite challenging. When you master it and you get the notes perfectly, it really does it justice.”