VICTORIA -- Footage released by the Royal BC Museum shows a packed downtown Victoria celebrating Victory in Europe Day – also known as VE Day – on May 8, 1945.
VE day marked the official end of the Second World War in Europe, and the museum’s 75-year-old video shows Victorians celebrating the event.
A diverse collection of parade participants can be seen marching down Douglas Street with Victorians cheering from sidewalks and on the tailgates of cars.
A crowded Beacon Hill Park is also on full display.
The museum says that the original footage, which is silent, was provided by the BC Archives’ George F. Lowe collection.
Aviation sound effects were added courtesy of BBC Sound Effects 2020 and the musical score was provided by “the same band that led the parade 75 years ago.”
The song, “Heart of Oak,” was composed by William Boyce and arranged by Edgar Hemingway.
The Royal BC Museum also highlighted other important snapshots of history to celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
One highlight includes a look at the Canadian Women's Army Corps, which was founded in Victoria in 1941.
Meanwhile, a 101-year-old Second World War veteran, John Hillman, is continuing his fundraising efforts for COVID-19 relief in Oak Bay today.
Hillman’s goal is to walk 101 laps around his retirement home to raise $101,000 for children across Canada. Donations to his fundraising campaign can be made here.
