Unearthed footage shows how Basingstoke celebrated VE Day in 1945

The news reel captured the moment the town rung in the joyous news that war was over after six longs years. 

Crowds of smartly dressed men and women congregated in the town's square to hear Churchill make the monumentous announcement, followed by cheers and bell-ringing.

Mass street parties took part in every neighbourbood, with residents mixing with one another to mark the occasion by raising a toast. 

Heartwarming footage shows children being served classic desserts of the period on china plates.

One scene captures a bonfire with children gathering around, dancing in celebration.

The video captures the joy of the occasion which was reported in the next day's Gazette.

The report, published in our newspaper on May 11, told how the people of Basingstoke heard the news of the end of hostilities at 3pm, when crowds gathered in Market Square to listen to Winston Churchill’s speech broadcast.

The newspaper reported that “crowds tramped the streets” with some in fancy dress and hats, with one group ‘Mrs’ Bright and her gang, escorting a coffin for a dead German, which the paper said “created a good deal of hilarity”.

People headed to Market Square at midnight, where music from a dance in the Town Hall was relayed outside, where hundreds of people danced.

The newspaper reported: “Even some of the more sedate members of the community, who in normal times conduct themselves in the strictest propriety, indulged in a little frolicking. The crowd was given a lead by a voice from the balcony, and rousing cheers went up from time to time for the King, Churchill, the Americans, Stalin and even ourselves.