SSAFA VE-Day Commemorative Tea Cotton Towel

While war raged on in the East for another three months, 8th May, 1945 – VE-Day – saw peace descend in Europe after nearly six years of bitter and bloody conflict, of Holocaust and genocide, and of destruction and suffering most people today would find hard to imagine.

Those who fought or saw their loved ones go off to fight, some – around 385,000 from the UK alone – never to return, are few in number, and even the children of that great generation are now aged, and often in need of support. Our support.

SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity was there for the servicemen and women, and their families then and is still now. And yet the work is not over; while their numbers reduce each year, SSAFA supports all ages, all ranks, and all generations of the whole Forces family – some 54,000 in 2023 alone – in 2025 just as it did in 1945.

To commemorate the 80th anniversary, and to ensure that SSAFA – which marks its 140th anniversary this year – can continue to help those who have risked all, a range of mugs, homewares, and clothing is available. These feature a stylised version of the iconic “V for Victory” made by two searchlights over St Paul’s Cathedral, while well as T-shirts incorporating a dramatic “V”, are available to buy from the SSAFA store.

Taken during London's celebrations on VE Day upon Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender bringing World War Two to an end, this photograph shows the west front of St Paul's cathedral flood lit for the first time since 1939.

VE-Day design also includes the below extract from Churchill's speech on VE-Day on 8th May 1945.

Advance, Britannia! Long live the cause of freedom! God save the King!

SSAFA VE-Day Tea Towel

• Cotton
• Size: (H) 75.0 x (W) 45.0cm

This SSAFA VE-Day Commemorative Tea Cotton Towel is a great way of showing your support with all profits helping support serving personnel, veterans and their families in their time of need, so they never have to battle alone.