Secret VE Day telegram displayed at the National Memorial Arboretum

Bernard, who had joined the armed forces on his 18th birthday and was the youngest RAF sergeant to land at Normandy in June 1944, was ordered to keep the telegram's contents strictly confidential.

The 101-year-old veteran from Crewe, said, “I was with my unit at a small place in Germany called Schneverdingen. On May 6th, 1945, I received a telegram saying the war in Germany would finish in two days, but we were told not to advise anybody that it would be over.”

Bernard said he was “so pleased” to receive the news. He added, “We all wanted to get back home, but it didn't happen overnight.”

A copy of Bernard’s telegram will be part of an upcoming exhibition called ‘Letters from the Frontline’ at the National Memorial Arboretum. It is designed to explore the “changing experiences and emotions of Armed Forces personnel and their families throughout the final months of the Second World War”.

‘Letters from the Frontline,’ which is supported by funding made possible by National Lottery players, is part of the National Memorial Arboretum’s extensive VE Day commemorations. This year’s VE Day on 8th May, will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.

Some of the correspondence in the ‘Letters from the Frontline’ exhibition, which is being sourced from the public by BBC radio stations across the Midlands, will be brought to life by recordings of the material read by the veterans or family members.

Rachel Smith, Head of Learning and Participation at the National Memorial Arboretum, said the ‘Letters from the Frontline’ exhibition would shine a light on the emotions triggered by impending peace.

She added, “Despite the success of D-Day, Monte Cassino, and the Burma Campaign having offered glimmers of hope, 1945 was still an incredibly challenging year. While the tide had turned, the war would continue for several months, and families exchanging letters with loved ones on the frontline had renewed hope that they would survive to see peace once again."

'Letters from the Frontline' will tell the story of those final months of the Second World War, with correspondence to and from Armed Forces personnel charting the journey from trepidation to jubilation, as six gruelling years of conflict finally ended.”

You can share information about material you think might be suitable for the exhibition. The deadline for submissions to the ‘Letters from the Frontline’ project is 28th March 2025.

18th March 2025.