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This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Maggie Smith from WM CSV Action Desk on behalf of Mary Kathleen Lynch and has been added to the site with her permission. Mary Kathleen Lynch fully understands the sites terms and conditions.

Mary Lynch was in the perfect place to party and celebrate on VE Day — Paris.

Mary, who was serving in the ATS in Ostende, had been granted 48 hours’ leave and decided to visit Paris. She had no idea the war was almost over. “I was with friends, sitting under the Arc de Triomphe when VE Day was declared”, explained Mary, who lives in Malvern.

“It was incredible. We walked down the Champs Elysees and all the lights and fountains went on”.

Mary said Paris was the perfect place to be for a member of the British armed forces.

“We were very popular. We were feted and wined and dined wherever we went. We had a brilliant time”.

Mary was in the Auxiliary Territorial Service for four years during the war and remembers training in Droitwich and being stationed in London.

After D-Day, she was sent to Ostende to work with the Military Police at 8th Army HQ.

“I remember being issued with winter uniform and sailing from Southampton. We weren’t allowed to tell our families where we were going” she remembers.

She was to witness a tragedy on the beach in front of HQ. A groups of small boys playing in an abandoned German pill box where blown up, probably by explosives left behind when the German’s retreated.

But there were happier memories too — being entertained by stars like Bob Hope, Danny Kaye and Glen Miller. “They all came out to entertain the forces and because I was with the Military Police, I usually got a good seat,” said Mary.

Mary returned to England later in 1945 suffering from pneumonia and convalesced at Barnsley Hall in Bromsgrove along with wound wounded soldiers and airmen.

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