The Day War Ended : Voices and Memories from 1945

The end of the Second World War is etched on the memories of those who survived.

The conclusion of years of hardship, sacrifice and bloodshed brought joy and relief for many; for others, it heralded a new world of uncertainty.

Now, on the 60th anniversary, survivors recount their personal experiences of that momentous occasion, telling their stories of where they were and how they felt the moment the war ended.

Whether in Europe or the Far East, whether their war ended in May or August, the survivors' testimonies tell a unique tale: a civilian in London celebrates with the crowds on VE Day while soldiers still battle in Asia and the Pacfic; as prisoners are liberated from concentration camps, a housewife in Berlin faces the onslaught of the Red Army; American soldiers cry with relief when they learn that they will not have to invade Japan, while prisoners of war begin their long journeys home.

These very personal memories are from every theatre of war and from every side, on the front line and the home front, combatants and civilians alike. This is not the war as told by historians, the ebb and flow of battles or the dictats of commanders, but the intimate stories of those who were there, and what it felt like.

Bringing vividly to life the raw emotion of the war's end, these are the voices - sometimes poignant, sometimes amusing, sometimes harrowing, always fascinating - that capture and preserve a cataclysmic moment in history.