99-year-old Doncaster man reflects on VE Day memories 80 years on
Raymond Hewitt was an able seaman in the Royal Navy when the end of the second World War was confirmed
Today marks 80 years since the formal surrender of Nazi Germany and the end of the war in Europe.
However, the war against Japan would continue until August 15th in 1945.
Doncaster man Raymond Hewitt - who's 99 years old - was serving in the Royal Navy when German forces surrendered in 1945.
He says they missed out on the celebrations back home - as they had to go & round up the last German U-Boats before returning:
"We went on leave and by that time, a lot of the excitement in England had finished, so we sort of missed out on that.
"We were back home though; the war was finally over, and that felt great.
"It was our job to go and get the last remaining U-boats in the Bergen area of Norway, which's where Hitler had most recently placed them.
"There was no overall excitement amongst all of us in the navy; it was just a feeling of relief.
"We knew that we could soon be home with our loved ones."
Meanwhile, Doncaster based historian Tony Armstrong has recently put together a documentary to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day - which includes Raymond's story.
He says its importance should never be underestimated:
"We should treat it as though it was only 8 days ago.
"We should never let it slip from our memory, as we were so close to never having such freedoms.
"It's important when we're all smiling, laughing, and having a good time that we remember things could've been so much different.
"People paid the ultimate price so we could enjoy today."
A range of events will take place across South Yorkshire & North Derbyshire today to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
You can view the documentary which's been put together by Doncaster historian Tony Armstrong on the link below: