True South Londoner Daisy recalls joy of VE Day

By Simone Richardson

Daisy Moore is a true South London lady – born in St Thomas’ Hospital on September 19, 1928.

She can still, on the 75th anniversary of VE Day, recall what happened on May 8, 1945 when the Second World War ended, and the party in Wedgewood House, across Kennington Road from what had 10 years before become the Imperial War Museum.

“It was a terrific celebration,” she said. “We had a big bonfire in the middle of the square near Wedgewood House.

“Everyone was throwing out their furniture that they didn’t want, on to the fire. It was one big party with Americans, Canadians and Australian soldiers – as well as the Brits here from wherever. It was like a knees-up all night. Terrific.”

Daisy, pictured, still has her ration book, identity card and air raid centre card, which she has kept from the war days.

She has good memories of the support of the estate she grew up in, China Walk, of which Wedgewood House was a part.

“Although everyone was poor, we all looked after each other,” she said. “Everyone was friendly.

“Mum used to send me to the old girl neighbour downstairs with some cooked dinner – even though we had to queue up for our meals.

“We looked after one another. My mum used to go to work as an office cleaner, and I looked after my brother, Jimmy Shannon, and my sister, Iris O’Brien, who lives on the South Bank. Iris and I still speak to each other every day.”

Daisy even remembers when and where a bomb went off on the estate during the Blitz. Two entire families died as they came downstairs at the wrong time to work as Night Watchmen – their surnames were Simms and Swinnerton.

Daisy had taken a job after leaving school when she was about 14 years old, working for WH Smith and Sons along Lambeth Bridge, selling make-up and showing customers how to apply it.

She was on a walk in Kennington Park with a friend when something life-changing happened.

“It was raining so we were wearing scarves,” she recalled. “We met two young men – a soldier and a sailor.

“I married the soldier 18 months after the VE Day when I was 18 years old in 1946.”

But she had to leave her job when she and Stanley Moore got hitched – WH Smith’s rules forbade wives from working there.

Stanley saw armed conflict in the war and ended up marching all the way to Germany – and releasing the Jewish prisoners from concentration camps.

He passed away in 2006 – but lives on in her memory forever.

She sadly marked his memory on VE Day – but this time indoors, due to the virus.

Daisy’s brother, Jimmy, who had moved to an old people’s home, and would have been 90 in July, was already ill.

He died on Saturday, the day after VE Day.

Daisy said: “The war was your enemy then but you don’t know your enemy today – now it is the Covid virus.”