Shandy on VE Day

Mrs E Wilshaw from East Ham told how she had been in a sanatorium for nine months and “had not seen a soul from the outside world for all that time.”

She told the paper: “Then (one day) I was allowed out with five other patients. We were allowed to do a walk in the grounds to help with our treatment.”

“While we were on this walk who found a hole that led to a street, so you can imagine the temptation to go through and see the outside world again- but we didn’t.”

Mrs Wilshaw said: “But a couple of days later it was VE Day and we decided to celebrate in our own little way.”

“We climbed out through the little hole about eight o’clock in the evening and came to a small pub where singing and dancing was going on.”

“About 9.30pm, we crawled back through the hole in the fence. We’d only (each) had a shandy in the pub but it was the best night we’d had.”