Irene Grimwood remembers VE Day

“Lily and I were still at the Rectory and planned to stay there until we left the W.L.A. But things have a habit of changing and the morning of May 8th 194S changed everything. We were having our breakfast when our warden came into the dining room. ‘Girls, girls, wonderful news. The war is over!’

As one, Lily, Kay, Iris and I rushed out of the room, out of the Rectory and on to the Market Place. We were calling to anyone who cared to listen, at the early hour, that the war was over.

On reaching the Market Place we stood outside the King’s Arms Hotel and sang ‘Ave Maria’. It was very moving, a moment to cherish, 7.15 am on V.E.Day.

A bedroom window at the hotel was opened and the angry voice of Mr Gooch the landlord cut our song short. ‘What the devil is that noise about? Rather meekly we told him the news. ‘In that case stay where you are and I will come down and let you in. I must buy you girls a drink,’

It was gin and tonics all around back to finish our breakfast. We expected a ticking off but our warden was much too happy for that. It was the the day off for us, back to work and reality the next day.”

Irene Grimwood, Land Girls at the Old Rectory (Ipswich: Old Pond Publishing, 2000), pp.72-73