War veteran recalls seeing Royal Family on VE Day

A World War Two veteran said she would never forget watching the Royal Family waving from the balcony at Buckingham Palace on VE Day.

Joyce Goulborn, 101, was working as a telephone switchboard operator in London when Winston Churchill made a radio announcement on 8 May 1945 to say war in Europe had come to an end.

She headed to the palace with a friend as soon as her shift finished and managed to get a spot in front of the railings.

"We had a front-row seat to see the King, the Queen and the two Princesses, it was such a celebration. There was a big party happening in Trafalgar Square later but I had to be back on duty. There was still a job to be done," she said.

Huge crowds gathered and cheered as King George VI and his family, including Princess Elizabeth, came out onto the balcony and waved.

Ms Goulborn served with the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), the women's branch of the British Army, and was living in London at the time but now lives in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire.

"I kept applying to sign up for service but every time I filled in the form, my father would burn it in the fire," she explained.

"When I was finally conscripted in 1943, he no longer had a choice and I was able to go off and do my basic training."

She was sent to Devon, where she was trained as a telephone switchboard operator.

"The war was a very difficult time but it taught me so much," she said.

"With many men fighting overseas, I was given the opportunity to take on roles that were not previously open to me.

"It gave me confidence and independence. I knew I could cope with different situations and that I could do what was asked of me."

The government announced there would be a four-day celebration of the 80th anniversary of VE Day from 5 May, including a flypast, concert and a Westminster Abbey service.

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