The Lord Provost Donald Wilson will visit residents of the Erskine Edinburgh care home later today to join celebrations marking 70 years since the end of the Second World War in Europe.
Arranged by staff at the home, a replica 1945 tea party complete with cocktails, bunting, war time artefacts and dancing will take place with live music from the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s.
The Lord Provost plans to bring a ‘memory box’ of WW2 artefacts gathered from the Council’s People’s Story Museum to help residents reflect on their memories of 8 May 1945. They will then take part in the national two minute silence at 3pm.
Erskine has been caring for Scotland’s ex-Service men and women for almost 100 years. The Erskine Edinburgh Home, situated in Gilmerton, opened in November 2001. The purpose-built care home provides nursing and dementia care, both long term and respite, for 76 residents.
Erskine Edinburgh Home Manager Alison Payne said: “We always commemorate and celebrate significant anniversaries in our home and we are delighted that the Lord Provost could join us to celebrate VE Day 70 years on. Our residents thoroughly enjoy mixing together live music, having a cuppa and food so having a tea party is a perfect way for them to reminisce and remember VE Day and what it meant to them.”
Commenting ahead of the event, the Lord Provost Donald Wilson said: “I am really looking forward to hearing stories from Edinburgh’s ex-service men and women about that joyful day in 1945. It turned the direction of history and changed these residents’ lives so much. Victory in Europe Day was celebrated all over the country and in Edinburgh there were scenes of street parties in Stockbridge and throngs of people along Princes Street. I hope the artefacts from the Council’s People’s Story Museum stir up some fond memories for the residents. They very much deserve this 1940s feast from the fantastic staff at Erskine.”
The War Time Edinburgh memory box includes a scrapbook tracing the Blitz to VE Day, propaganda posters, ration books and National Identity cards. These items and other objects from the People’s Story Museum and the Museum of Childhood are available for free to loan from the City Art Centre and are popular with those who have elderly neighbours and family members who struggle to visit museums.
Photo courtesy of Capital Collections shows VE Day Street party at the Stockbridge Colonies, Kemp Place and Bell Place in 1945. Photographer unkown.
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