Celebrating VE Day in Seward’s End

The church bell rangs to mark the silence and afternoon tea was taken to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day in Seward’s End.

People in the village hung out flag.

Diocese bishops had given permission for one church bell to be rung to mark the day, despite church closures during the coronavirus pandemic.

So St James’ single bell tolled to mark the beginning and the end of the two-minute silence at 11am.

Around the village, afternoon tea with scones were eaten in the sunshine in many gardens and, after the Queen’s speech, villagers came out to join in singing, We’ll Meet Again, the song sung by Vera Lynn to keep up spirits during the Second World War,

while maintaining social distances.

St James’s Church is a “daughter” church of St Mary’s Church in Saffron Walden, which was built in the 16th century by the same master mason John Wastell who worked on Great St Mary’s Church and King’s College in Cambridge.