LAST week we were enjoying street parties to celebrate the marriage of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. But in 1945 they held street parties for an equally joyous occasion and yesterday marked the 66th anniversary of VE Day, which Winston Churchill had declared a national holiday.

Huge crowds, many dressed in red, white and blue, gathered outside Buckingham Palace and cheered as Mr Churchill joined the waving royals on the balcony.

There were similar scenes of jubilation up and down the country and in York, bunting came out after years in storage, flags were flown patriotically and street parties were in full swing.

Rations that had been saved for the celebrations were brought out and there were sandwiches and cakes galore, especially for children who had been starved of treats.

It looks quite a formal affair at the street party in Kingsway, but a lad and lass break away to have a bit of fun at Hitler’s expense.

In Belle Vue Street, these children are giving Granny West’s now redundant Anderson shelter a new use as a party venue.

There were fireworks, with effigies of Hitler burned on bonfires, as people continued to celebrate well into the night. And after six years at war, who could blame them?

• Photographs courtesy of the City of York Council’s imagineyork.co.uk website.

York Press: Children on the roof of Granny West’s Anderson shelter during the VE Day street party in Belle Vue Street, York

Children on the roof of Granny West’s Anderson shelter during the VE Day street party in Belle Vue Street, York

York Press: Residents come together for a meal to celebrate VE Day in a York street

Residents come together for a meal to celebrate VE Day in a York street