What did you do on the day the Second World War ended? | Nostalgia

I am sure there must still be many of you who remember the celebrations that continued for some days.

If you would like to talk to me about it please let me know and I can visit you at home, or you could drop me a line by e-mail or by letter.

Perhaps you were at school when the news came through and the teacher told you all to go home for the day. How many of you went to Guildhall Square to celebrate?

You might have been in the forces and about to be sent to war when your deployment was cancelled at the last minute. Perhaps you were a sailor and might have been delayed travelling to Portsmouth so your ship sailed without you only to be sunk in the final days but you survived because a train was delayed.

Perhaps you and your family were celebrating when a telegram arrived to say a family member in the forces had been killed in the final days thus cancelling celebrations.

Portsmouth lost nearly 1,000 civilians during the war. If your family had lost relatives did this stop them celebrating?

On November 19, 1945, it was announced that the Portsmouth Lord Mayor’s Appeal in aid of the King George’s Fund for Sailors had topped £20,000. Were you part of raising this cash?

There must be a thousand stories out there for me to write about. Please do contact me. You can ring me on (023) 9243 5936. Thank you.

One popular event at the end of the war were street parties which were held all over the city.

In the picture we see children from Ventnor Road, Southsea, but not quite. Tony Thatcher sent it in and he is arrowed.

He says: ‘I was using my grandma's surname, Barker, rather than mine, Thatcher. I lived in Orchard Road and we didn't have a party. Grandma was resident in Ventnor Road, so I became Tony Barker for a day!’

One such story I am after is the bravery of ARP Warden George ‘Curly’ Palmer, pictured being congratulated for saving a young girl on December 5, 1940.

A bomb exploded at the rear of 59, Belgrave Street, Landport (the street no longer exists). In the cellar were the Byng family who used the cellar as an air raid shelter. Sadly four of them were killed but a daughter, Peggy aged 12, survived but was trapped by masonry with rising water threatening to drown her.

George entered the cellar by a coal hole at the front of the house and somehow managed to save Peggy. He was awarded the British Empire Medal for his bravery. Perhaps you are a relation of George?