Museums gear up for virtual VE Day commemorations

The ongoing coronavirus lockdown has forced many organisations to rethink their plans. But despite social distancing measures, a large number still aim to support collective commemoration through online initiatives.

Imperial War Museums (IWM) is encouraging people to make time on the day to listen to a four-minute “soundscape” which incorporates first-hand accounts of the day from the institution’s sound archive. The recording, which will be released on the museum’s website, features an army nurse who served in Egypt, a Jamaican aircraftsman, a concentration camp survivor and wartime prime minister Winston Churchill.

IWM will also publish contemporary artworks online – including spoken word, music and poetry – that it has commissioned to respond to the end of the second world war. These plans form part of the museum’s Voices of War programme, which will also involve sharing testimonies from the conclusion of the war – the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and VJ Day – this summer.

Simultaneous broadcasts of extracts from Churchill’s VE Day speech in public spaces across the UK were intended to be a central plank of the project, but these have been cancelled because of the lockdown.

IWM director general Diane Lees said: “We had planned to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the second world war in public spaces around the UK. Due to the current situation, this is no longer possible. However, the need to commemorate this national anniversary and to remember the sacrifices made on our behalf by past generations is as pressing as ever.”

Many organisations are seeking to recreate the celebratory spirit that followed end of the war in Europe.
 

English Heritage had previously planned to support street parties across England with its Dance for VE Day project. It is now calling for people to dance the Lindy Hop, which originated in New York and became a popular wartime craze because of travelling soldiers, in their homes to mark the occasion.

Nancy Hitzig, English Heritage’s Dance for VE Day creative director, will teach an online Lindy Hop tutorial at noon and at 5pm the organisation will lead a mass participation Lindy Hop with a dance troupe and swing band.

Hitzig described the Lindy Hop as “a joyful, social dance”, commenting: “We hope that those taking part in our Dance for VE Day at 5pm will share their videos and selfies so we can get a picture of the celebrations around the country."

In addition, English Heritage has created a VE Day Spotify playlist and a pack to support home celebrations, which includes dance steps, song lyrics and recipes.

English Heritage chief executive Kate Mavor said: "We know that this year presents a unique set of challenging circumstances, but we hope that with our help, communities around the country will still be able to mark this anniversary at home.”

The former code-breaking centre Bletchley Park is also providing a free download pack with tips for home celebrations and instructions for creating bunting. The museum plans to gather and display this crowd-sourced bunting at its site once it reopens to the public.

Bletchley Park will make two special Youtube broadcasts on the day, including a staged message from Winston Churchill.

The National Army Museum, National Museum of the Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force Museum are jointly planning a three-day online festival from 7-9 May. VE Day 75 will include a debate between historians, a 1940s swing class followed by a sing-along concert, and an immersive walk-through of the world war two submarine HMS Alliance.

Many sector organisations plan to publish online content exploring different themes relating to the war. National Museums Scotland will share video interviews with wartime pilots and in Belfast, the Titanic Museum and SS Nomadic will likewise publish a short video focusing on the city’s maritime links to the war.

The Science Museum will share digital stories based on its collection that explore the impact of the war on science, medicine, technology and engineering. Other museums providing online VE Day exhibitions include the Museum of Cardiff, Museum of London Docklands, Army Flying Museum and National Railway Museum.

London’s Southbank Centre will point people towards a performance of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem at the Royal Festival Hall, now on Youtube, that features hundreds of young performers from the Royal Academy of Music and National Youth Choir of Great Britain. The original concert commemorated the 100th anniversary of the start of the first world war.

Real life listening experiences will be provided by the North Down Museum in Bangor, Northern Ireland, which will sound its second world war siren at 8pm on Thursday 7 May to coincide with the national clap for carers, and the Old Royal Naval College on Greenwich, London, which will ring its “very loud” bells on Friday.

Many venues are hosting locally-focused events. These include the Museum of Croydon, whose plans include film screenings and ask the archivist sessions, and Bolton Library and Museum Services, which will share archival images and second world war art.

A large number of organisations will also join the nation’s toast at 3pm.