Cambridgeshire war veteran, 101, 'not a hero' to survive on VE Day
It's 80 years since Victory in Europe was declared
Last updated 8th May 2025
A Second World War veteran in Cambridgeshire who served his country for more than four decades believes he shouldn't be thought of as "a hero".
Street parties and beacons are being lit across the county to mark Victory in Europe.
Ed Kelly MBE served as an RAF navigator - tasked with stopping German enemy boats, known as E-boats - until 1982.
"I think we had a few beers that night at one of the pubs in Cambridge but no big parties in the camp I was on; it was a case of 'cheerio, chaps, I'll see you some time'," Ed recalled.
"We were relieved that war was over in England, but at the same time, it meant our crews were breaking up, all your friends went away and you're starting a new venture for the Far East."
Earlier this year Ed, 101, received an MBE for his service to the forces which he retired from in 1982.
After VE Day, Ed tried to stay in touch with crewmates having decided to remain in the RAF
"I didn't think I was going to stay in the force until I was 59-years-old," he said.
"I think we thought we were doing a good job; you didn't know how long you were going to live at the time, so you made the best of it."
Ed said he "still thinks about" what happened to his crewmates during the war.
"We lost a lot of our friends, 56,000 in Bomber Command alone, but glad we're alive and that it was all over," he admitted.
"I think of all those friends I've lost and when people say 'you must've been a hero', I say 'I'm not a hero, son, the heroes are the names on that memorial; I'm one of the lucky lads who survived'."
What happened on VE Day?
This spelt the end of almost six years of war in Europe that cost millions of lives, destroyed homes and families.
On May 8, 1945, millions of people took to the streets of towns and cities across the world to rejoice, sing and dance to the fact that German forces had surrendered the day before.