London Transport Museum: Family activities mark 80th Anniversary of VE Day

Step back in time this May half-term and uncover the vital role of London’s transport network in the Second World War.

To mark 80 years since Victory of Europe Day (VE Day), the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden will take visitors on a journey to uncover the remarkable stories of those who worked tirelessly to keep the capital moving.

From secret underground operations to pioneering women, a wealth of family activities are running throughout the May half term, from May 24 until June 1.

Discover how Underground stations transformed into life-saving shelters during the Blitz and get hands-on with creative activities inspired by wartime London.  

Join singing and storytelling sessions which reveal the Tube trains that served tea and refreshments to those sheltering underground, embark on an imaginary journey underground to uncover the covert meetings in abandoned stations, or join Dorothy, a 1940s shop worker eager to support the war effort by working for London Transport.

Further afield, families with children aged 10 and above will also be able to join the Museum’s exclusive guided tours of the wartime deep-level shelter at Clapham South, which was built during the Second World War to shelter more than 8,000 Londoners from air raids. 

Led by a guide portraying a 1940s warden, the tour follows the footsteps of a wartime family spending their first night in the shelter.

It features newly reconstructed areas, authentic wartime artefacts, and the original bunk beds that South Londoners would have spent their evenings on during air raids. 

Tours will run from May 28 until June 1.    

To book in advance online, visit: ltmuseum.co.uk/whats-on/family-events/may-half-term-londons-service  

Pictured top: Tours will be led by a guide portraying a 1940s warden (Picture: London Transport Museum)