On the 8th of May 1945, Germany formally surrendered to the Allied Forces ending the Second World War in Europe. The news brought millions of jubilant people onto the streets in cities across the continent. This film documents the celebrations in Belfast. The footage was shot by James Newell from Kilmood, Co. Down. Newell served in the Ulster Home Guard and as an Air Raid Warden during the War. On VE Day, he captured these ecstatic scenes around the Belfast City Centre, Rushfield Avenue and Aylesbury Drive. Keep an eye out for the B-24 Liberator soaring above the City Centre and Royal Avenue.
This footage was donated to the Northern Ireland War Memorial by Newell's grandson, Clive, along with the original camera used to shoot it. Clive found the footage stored in a biscuit tin. The Digital Film Archive digitised the footage to preserve this vital and fascinating moment in local and world history.