Churchill paused to take a breath as the gathering remained silent. ‘Tomorrow, our great Russian allies will also be celebrating victory, and after that we must begin the task of rebuilding our hearth and homes; doing our utmost to make this country a land in which all have a chance, in which all have a duty, and we must turn ourselves to fulfil our duty to our own countrymen, and to our gallant allies of the United States who were so foully and treacherously attacked by Japan.’

Whistles and whoops came from the Americans in the crowd.

‘We will go hand in hand with them. Even if it is a hard struggle we will not be the ones who fail.’

Ron grunted his approval as the crowd whistled and cheered and began to sing. He switched the wireless off to serve the eight customers who’d been patiently waiting whilst Churchill had been speaking, then fetched more beers for Peter and Rita and headed for the door. It had sounded as if half of London had been massed in Whitehall, and he could just imagine the shenanigans going on in Piccadilly and Trafalgar Square, but there was a party going on here, and he was eager to feel part of it.

He handed over the beers and saw Rosie chattering away with Peggy. Standing in the doorway he watched the two women he loved most in the world. He was a lucky man to have been so blessed, and on this wonderful day he couldn’t resist grinning like a schoolboy as he caught sight of his gorgeous granddaughter, Cissy, playing a hectic and very noisy game of Blind Man’s Bluff with her little sister Daisy and an over-excited group of small children.

It was amazing, he mused, that after six long, hard years of war, the enduring spirit still lived on in the British people – for despite the terrors, the deaths, the lost homes and deprivations, they could still find the energy to rejoice in their hard-won victory.

The rain that had been forecast held off until late Wednesday night when the thunder rolled in and the heavens opened. But it hadn’t dampened the spirits of the revellers, and the parties had carried on in the pubs, clubs, dance halls, hotels and restaurants.

Every street had celebrated with its own tea party for the children, and a huge bonfire had been lit on the recreation ground to accompany a firework display. The local brass band had paraded down the High Street followed eagerly by small marching boys and a pack of barking dogs. The Mayor had given a short speech on the Town Hall steps the first evening, and although he was no Churchill and clearly tiddly, the crowds gave him a huge cheer and dragged him into the street to join a conga line that twisted and turned all through the town.