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10/05/2015

Songs of Praise marks the 70th anniversary of VE Day with interviews with those who were there and hymns from the original service of Thanksgiving in 1945.

Bill Turnbull joins the nation's celebrations, marking the 70th anniversary of VE Day with interviews with those who were there - the chorister who sang for Churchill, the young Dutch girl whose life was saved by Operation Manna, and the forces sweetheart Helen Clare. Plus hymns from the original service of Thanksgiving in 1945.

35 minutes

Last on

Sun 10 May 2015 16:30
Â鶹ԼÅÄ One

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24/05/2015

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Clips

See all clips from 10/05/2015 (3)

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • Robert Ramskill

    Praise My Soul The King of Heaven (feat. George McPhee)

    Choir: Paisley Abbey, Glasgow Congregation. Lyricist: Henry Francis Lyte.

    Composer: John Goss.

  • Gordon Stewart

    O God, Our Help In Ages Past

    Choir: Manchester Cathedral Congregation. Lyricist: Isaac Watts.

    Tune: St Anne

  • G4

    I Vow To Thee, My Country

  • Gerard Brooks

    Before The Almighty Father’s Throne (feat. Paul Benniston, Anne McAneney, Martin Owen, Colin Sheen, Graham Sibley, Graham King & Nik Turner)

    Choir: St Giles Church, Camberwell Congregation.

    Tune: Old Hundredth. Composer: Genevan Psalter Melody 1551.

  • Lou Fellingham

    My Heart Is Filled With Thankfulness

    Ensemble: The Stuart Townend Band.

  • Geoff Ellerby

    Through the Night of Doubt and Sorrow (feat. Michael Haynes)

    Choir: Trinity Church, Gosforth Congregation. Music Arranger: Geoff Ellerby. Lyricist: Bernhard Severin Ingemann. Lyricist: Sabine Baring-Gould.

    Tune: Marching

  • The Royal Garrison Church of All Saints, Aldershot Congregation

    Lord, For The Years (feat. Daniel Moult)

    Music Arranger: Paul Leddington Wright. Lyricist: Timothy Dudley-Smith.

    Tune: Lord of the Years

Music

  • Praise My Soul The King of Heaven performed by choir and congregation at Paisley Abbey, Glasgow.
  • O God, Our Help In Ages Past performed by choir and congregation at Manchester Cathedral.
  • I Vow To Thee, My Country performed by G4 at New Testament Assembly, Tooting.
  • Before The Almighty Father’s Throne performed by ensemble and congregation St Giles Church, Camberwell.
  • My Heart Is Filled With Thankfulness performed by Lou Fellingham at Lincoln Cathedral.
  • Through the Night of Doubt and Sorrow performed by choir and congregation at Trinity Church, Gosforth.
  • Lord, For The Years performed by choir and congregation of The Royal Garrison Church of All Saints, Aldershot.

Stories

VE Day
Bill meets Celia Scott who was outside St Margaret's Church on VE Day and John Beal who sang for Churchill at the service of Thanksgiving.

Memories Montage
We hear VE Day memories sent in from three viewers, Eric, Joyce and Vera. Each tell their own story of VE Day including an RAF Pilot, a girl celebrating her 12th birthday and a lady who met her future husband at an RAF dance.

Vera Parker 
Vera celebrated her 12th birthday on VE Day. She recalls how her Father had written to her from abroad, where he was away working as an Engineer in the war, and told her how he was looking forward to hearing her play the piano when he returned, as she had been taking lessons whilst he was away.

Eric Unwin 
Eric was a ‘Flight Lieutenant Mosquito Pilot’ on a training course in Buckinghamshire during the war. On VE Day, he was given 36 hours leave so he cycled 17 miles to Banbury train station, where he then travelled home to see his parents and take his sister to the local Victory dance.

Joyce McLeod
Joyce tells us how she met her Husband, Ken, at a victory dance at the local RAF Base on VE Day.

Operation Manna
Anneke Heslam-Groenendijk's life was saved thanks to a little known RAF mission called Operation Manna, the world's first humanitarian food drop. After four years of German occupation and a particularly harsh winter the Dutch people were starving and just 10 days before VE Day the RAF started dropping food to alleviate the suffering. We unite Anneke with one of the RAF crew who took part in Operation Manna, Flight Engineer Maurice Snowball.

Credits

Presenter Bill Turnbull
Presenter Pam Rhodes
Series Producer Matthew Napier
Executive Producer Dave Stanford

Broadcast