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As a 17-year-old, Frances Parr signed up to do her part in World War Two. Now Frances Rimmer, she recalls her work as a clerk in Brussels. This was where she was stationed when the war in Europe came to an end in May 1945. “One of the lucky ones, maybe, to be there on VE Day. We listened to Churchill’s speech, and then we were told we were on leave until duty next morning,” she remembers. This was when the celebrations began: “We really enjoyed ourselves, and watched the parades and everything, and sat on a bridge in the long run singing ‘when the lights go on again’. “We had a whale of a time on VE Day because the Belgians were very very good to us, and we went home absolutely weary. I don’t know how we got into our bunks, but we did.” The fight was to end in Europe on 7 May 1945, but it still raged elsewhere in the world: ”In the back of our minds as well, we thought of the 14th army men out in Burma, and just prayed soon it [victory] would happen for them.”