Dorchester care home residents reflect on VE Day memories

Care home residents in Dorchester have reflected on their VE Day memories ahead of the 80th anniversary.

During the war, Dorothy, 97, who lives at Maiden Castle House in Gloucester Road, remembers seeing her three brothers complete their National Service and was pleased when they all returned home safely.

Dorothy said: “On VE Day I thought ‘The war is over now and all the young men returning home deserve happiness.’ As a family, we always looked on the bright side and kept singing.” Sharing one particularly poignant memory, she added: “After the war, my brother Ted came home from the RAF and mum emptied out his uniform pockets. In there she found all the letters that she’d written to him. She asked why the letters were all kept in different pockets, and he said that it was so that if he got shot, the letters would help to stop the bullets.”

Dorris, 99, who also lives at Maiden Castle House, remembers helping an army officer stationed at Furzebrook and his wife to look after their baby.

She said: “I remember the noise of the planes was so frightening as they flew much lower than they do now. It almost felt like they were on top of your head.”

Dorris says that the anniversary brings back a mix of emotions. “I was pleased the war was over but sad that one of my seven brothers never came home, as my father received a letter saying that he was missing, presumed dead.”

The nation will celebrate the 80th anniversary of VE Day on Thursday 8 May marking the end of the Second World War. Maiden Castle House will host a musical afternoon open to the local community on Wednesday 7 May from 2.30pm to 3.30pm.

Ashley Smith, Home Manager at Maiden Castle House, said: “Dorris, Dorothy and many other residents have been kind enough to share their memories of VE Day with us so that we can understand their individual experiences of that day. We are hoping that, by commemorating this important anniversary together, we not only honour their stories but also create meaningful moments that can bring the wider community together.”

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