KATHERINE Jenkins led a nation-wide rendition of wartime anthems by Dame Vera Lynn in an empty Royal Albert Hall as lockdown Brits mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

The Welsh soprano sang World War Two classics like We'll Meet Again and The White Cliffs of Dover during a half-hour performance at the iconic London venue.

It is the first time in the Royal Albert Hall's 150-year history that a performance has been made behind closed doors.

Ms Jenkins, who duetted virtually with forces sweetheart Dame Vera, 103, as a young woman, wore a flowing red gown and came onstage next to a grand piano.

The classical singer described the event, which was livestreamed on YouTube from 6pm, as "one of the most incredible experiences of my career".

Ms Jenkins said: "I have sound checked here many times before for my own concerts so thought I'd know how it might feel today, but it really was something special.

'MAKING HISTORY

"I'm so honoured to have been asked to do this and excited that we are making history – a first for the Royal Albert Hall and for me of course.

"I was lucky enough to be involved in the 60th and 70th VE Day celebrations, so I've seen first-hand what these events mean to the veterans and their families."

She said: "We must do all we can to suitably honour this momentous day to the best of our abilities under the circumstances and we hope the nation will help us with that.

"I hope that you all enjoy and sing-a-long! It has been a day to remember!"

Later in the evening, Ms Jenkins sang Somewhere Over the Rainbow in the Buckingham Palace quadrangle ahead of The Queen addressing the nation.

It came as defiant Brits marked the anniversary of VE Day in lockdown today as RAF Typhoon jets and Red Arrows soared above the UK.

Families and neighbours were in good spirits as they marked the occasion with socially distanced street parties and picnics on their drives after the royals and Prime Minister earlier led a two-minute silence.

Residents on Novers Park Road in Knowle, Bristol, enjoyed a social distancing street party, featuring an abundance of Union Jack flags and bunting throughout the neighbourhood.

In Leicestershire, a man played the Last Post outside his jubilantly decorated home, as the rest of his street fell silent.

And neighbours watched on as Royal Navy veteran, Charles Medhurst stood outside his home in Greenwich during a nation-wide silence remembering our fallen heroes.

MOMENT OF SILENCE

Millions across the country paused for two minutes at 11am to remember those who served in the Second World War – and the price so many paid for freedom.

The Prince of Wales was joined by the Duchess of Cornwall as he led the poignant tribute, placing a wreath at a memorial near Balmoral.

Camilla, 71, laid a floral tribute along with a touching handwritten note for her father, Major Bruce Shand, who fought with the 12th Lancers.

It read: "In memory of my darling father, and all the officers and men of the 12th Lancers, who fought so bravely to give us peace. Camilla."

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister observed the silence from Downing Street, along with millions of defiant Brits who quietly reflected from their homes and doorsteps.

Their tributes came after the Red Arrows flew just 100 feet over London and RAF Typhoons soared over Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

The planes set off just after 10am this morning in London, flying over landmarks including Buckingham Palace and the London Eye.

Small groups gathered to capture the moment – using their daily exercise to share in the spectacle.

VE REMEMBER

On May 8, 1945, fighting stopped as the Germans surrendered to the allies, marking the end of Adolf Hitler’s war and sparking celebrations around the globe.

VE Day – or Victory in Europe Day – honours the occasion each year.

The flypast is sure to have lifted the spirits of locked-down Brits who are marking the occasion under heavy restrictions due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Millions took to their doorsteps to remember those who fought for them – including Royal Navy veteran, Charles Medhurst who was pictured outside his decorated home in Greenwich today.

He is one of the "greatest generation" of World War Two veterans whose pluck and steel will inspire the nation to defeat coronavirus, the Prime Minister said.

In an open letter to the dwindling band of heroes who defeated Hitler, Mr Johnson wrote: “On this anniversary, we are engaged in a new struggle against the coronavirus which demands the same spirit of national endeavour that you exemplified 75 years ago.

“We cannot pay our tribute with the parades and street celebrations we enjoyed in the past.

“But please allow us, your proud compatriots, to be the first to offer our gratitude, our heartfelt thanks and our solemn pledge: you will always be remembered.”

VE Day spot

DAME Vera Lynn has said the nation must “remember the brave boys and what they sacrificed for us” ahead of the 75th anniversary of VE Day, adding that this year’s celebrations will “remind us all that hope remains even in the most difficult times”.

Mr Johnson sent a separate ­letter to veteran Don Sheppard, celebrating his 100th birthday at home with his wife in Laindon, Essex, after a big party had to be cancelled. He wished him “a jolly good knees-up as befits an old soldier still going strong”.

He also held a Zoom call with 102-year-old Second World War veteran Ernie Horsfall, one of the UK's oldest surviving servicemen.

Mr Johnson told Ernie – who has seen 25 Prime Ministers and four British Monarchs during his lifetime – that he was "awesome" and a "credit to his generation".

Yesterday, the PM observed a minute's silence at Westminster Abbey, honouring those who lost their lives by lighting a candle at the grave of the Unknown Warrior.

Meanwhile sailors, soldiers and Royal Marines aboard support ship RFA Argus patrolling the Caribbean spelled out 75 on the flight deck.

The Sun Pub of the Year, the Don War Memorial Bar in Stockton on Tees, joined parties across the country at 2pm by hosting a two-hour Facebook sing-along with customers at home. At 3pm there were TV replays of the speech PM Winston Churchill gave on VE Day.

When to watch it on telly

BBC1: 

10.55am. VE Day 75: The Nation Remembers. National moment of remembrance with a two-minute silence.

2.45pm-3.45pm. VE Day 75: The Announcement of Victory. Military music, accounts and readings in tribute to World War Two generation

7pm-8pm. The One Show: Alex Jones and guests celebrate VE Day.

8pm-9.10pm: Sophie Raworth hosts A Musical Celebration.  The Queen’s Speech at 9pm and We’ll Meet Again singalong.

9.10pm-10pm: Julie Walters and David Attenborough star in Remembering Victory.

CHANNEL 5:

 7pm-8pm. VE Day: The Lost Films. Eyewitness accounts and cine films.

ITV1:

 8pm-8.30pm: Captain Tom’s War:  The ­brutal “forgotten war” of the Burma campaign.

DISCOVERY CHANNEL:

9pm-10pm: Tony Robinson’s VE Day.

VE day spot

COVID hero Captain Tom Moore, 100, met Vera Lynn, whose best-known song we are urged to all sing together tonight, in the Burmese jungle. The Forces’ sweetheart, now 103, arrived to cheer up the troops. He said: “It really boosted everybody’s morale. She was great.”

And from the balcony of her home in London, Dame Joan Collins was leading the national toast: “To those who gave so much — we thank you.”

Stay At Home Street Parties were taking place across the UK with social-distancing Brits celebrating in their front gardens or in communal spaces.

Town criers will take to the streets at 6.55pm before church bells ring at 7pm.

The Queen’s speech to the nation ends at 9pm with the BBC holding a national sing-along of the Vera Lynn classic We’ll Meet Again.

The Sun says

ONE day we will rejoice at the end of the coronavirus nightmare just as, 75 years ago today, we celebrated victory over the Nazis. That day, though, looks a long way off.

It still feels nearer the beginning than the end. The country is paralysed, with infections and deaths falling but depressingly high.

The Bank of England predicts the economy will shrink by a chilling 14 per cent this year even if lockdown ends in June. Its forecast of a sharp recovery is at the rosier end of the optimistic spectrum.

There will be little immediate respite from these crippling, tedious restrictions even as other nations feel able to relax theirs and go about their lives.

This is the gravest national crisis in the lifetimes of most Brits and the end is not yet in sight.

But let us not forget today that our oldest generation, those most in need of protection now, suffered greater terrors.

That it fell to them to repel the Nazi war machine and keep the home fires burning.

Through courage, determination and ingenuity they and our allies — especially the Americans — prevailed, liberating Europe from fear and the threat of enslavement by Hitler’s racist ideology.

We urge all Sun readers to remember that generation during the two minutes’ silence today and enjoy a day of VE commemoration on TV and online.

We will one day recall the heroes of our own struggle against an invisible and deadly virus: The frontline NHS workers, those risking their health to care for the old and vulnerable, those retooling their businesses at huge expense to ­produce the equipment we need.

But at 11am let us remember the generation who came before us and the six years of hell they endured.

In 2020 we are suffering and grieving. They had it worse.

As we thank the Second World War generation, let’s put them front and centre

Oliver Dowden, Culture Secretary

As we face our own challenges as a society today, I hope we take time on this special bank holiday to reflect on what happened seventy-five years ago to this very day. 

Back then, joyful crowds were pouring into the streets to celebrate as Winston Churchill declared victory in Europe. The Nazis had been defeated, the Second World War was over, Europe was finally free.

I, like many of you, have my own personal family connection to VE Day—and today the government has put on a very special programme both to honour its 75th anniversary and thank the greatest generation who saved our country from tyranny. 

Some of us will have relatives who played heroic parts serving in the armed forces. Who led dog fights in the air, landed on the beaches of Normandy on D Day, or helped liberate the concentration camps.

But there were also so many fascinating and poignant stories from the home front – stories of people going about their ordinary lives in extraordinary times. A true struggle for survival. The mothers who put their kids on a train not knowing when they would see them again. The families who crammed into air raid shelters or underground stations to protect themselves, night after night, during the Blitz. 

I’ve been digging into my family’s experiences of this time. My gran worked in a North London factory producing barrage balloons alongside many other young women. Three times the size of cricket pitches, these hung above towns and cities with cables beneath to protect them from dive bombers. The use of industrial glue didn’t make for pleasant work but they knew their efforts saved lives. 

My family, like many others, also experienced unimaginable grief. My paternal grandfather lost his first wife and three children in the Clydebank blitz. With a family now myself, I struggle to imagine how hard it must have been for him but you would never have known it from his cheerful manner in later life. His story was replicated in cities across our nation. His generation struggled on and built the peace and prosperity we have been blessed with since. 

This generation was clearly a one-off and we should honour them by listening to their stories, researching their experiences and passing this on to our children. And this bank holiday weekend is the perfect time to ring up grandparents and great-grandparents and ask them what they remember, how they battled through, and what they felt when peace was finally declared. Don’t look back in years to come and regret never asking. As we thank the Second World War generation, let’s put them front and centre. 

And for those whose loved ones are sadly no longer around, we’ve partnered with Ancestry.co.uk. They’ve made all their UK records free so that people can trawl through their own family connections to the war over the weekend.  

The commemorations don’t end there. Today we will mark VE Day with a two minute’s silence at 11am led by HRH Prince of Wales. The Red Arrows will fly over London and RAF Typhoons over Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, broadcast live on our television screens. 

Then at 9pm this evening, we will tune in as Her Majesty The Queen addresses the nation to mark this historic anniversary, before going out onto our doorstops to join the national singalong of Dame Vera Lynn’s ‘We’ll Meet Again’. In the midst of a different national battle against this virus, we’ll create new memories to honour those who fought for us. 

One of the most fitting tributes we can make to this greatest generation is to ensure their stories live on. To pass on their memories to our children so that VE Day, the day that brought peace to Britain, is never forgotten.

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