VE Day marked in Britain

Prince Charles and second world war veterans joined thousands of people at events across Britain on Sunday to make the 60th anniversary of VE Day.

The Prince of Wales laid a wreath at the Cenotaph in central London in tribute to the fallen and met veterans in a march of around 2300 servicemen in Hyde Park, launching a series of commemorations to mark the end of the second world war in Europe on May 8, in which more than 40 million people lost their lives.

More than 15000 people gathered in Trafalgar Square for a special televised VE Day evening concert, called a Party to Remember, which was organized by the Royal British Legion, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and London Mayor Ken Livingstone.

The free event, which include the screening of footage of the original Trafalgar Square VE Day celebrations from 8 May 1945, was shown live on giant screens in Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Hull.

Representatives from Australia, Canada, Fiji, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa joined their British colleagues at the annual parade and service.

Commemoration services were also taking place in other parts of Britain. Four Spitfire planes also flew low across Duxfor near Cambridge, which was a fighter base during world wars I and II.

In Scotland, First Minister Jack McConnell attended a church service in St Andrew's Cathedral, before laying a wreath on behalf of the Scottish people, while veterans marked the day with a service at the cenotaph in Cathays Park in Cardiff.

The Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh are due to visit Guernsey and Jersey to Celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Channel Islands' liberation from Nazi occupation, said a spokesman for the Royal British Legion.

Ceremonies have also been held across Europe to mark the anniversary with crowds gathered in Berlin, Moscow, Paris and other cities.

Source: Xinhua