AS the hours of night whiled away towards Wednesday August 15, 1945, Clement Attlee, the newly elected Prime Minister, prepared to make a momentous broadcast.

At the same time people across Bury once again crowded around their radios to hear his long awaited message.

When midnight struck, Mr Attlee made the historic announcement: “The last of our enemies is laid low.”

After six long years of war the Japanese had surrendered, peace had come to the peoples of the world, and Bury rejoiced.

Soon the streets were flooded by hundreds of residents who headed into the town centre and quickly formed a procession.

Led by a man with a concertina and a small boy with a Union Flag, the throngs marched under streetlights, thoughtfully illuminated by Bury Corporation, towards the Mayor's house.

When no answer was given, an energetic American soldier climbed up to the bedroom window.

But to no avail, His Worship was not home, and was instead with the clerk making final preparations for the town's celebrations.

Undeterred, through the early hours, the crown made its way through Freetown and Walmersley before heading back to the town via The Rock.

There firefighters added to the joviality by throwing open their doors and bringing out a piano for a few hearty renditions.

Bury Times: A street party in Bury to celebrate VJ Day in 1945. (Sadly the original photo has been damaged over time and taped back together)A street party in Bury to celebrate VJ Day in 1945. (Sadly the original photo has been damaged over time and taped back together)

When the Mayor finally he arrived he ascended the plinth of the Sir Robert Peel statue in Market Place.

But before he could speak a round of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" was sung with gusto by the revellers.

Elsewhere, immediately after the Prime Minister's broadcast, residents hurried to church to express thanks to God that the world was once again at peace.

At Wednesday noon a thanksgiving service was attended by the Mayor and Corporation at the Parish Church, while a public observance was made on the Wellington Playing Fields, and many local churches held their own ceremonies.

By the afternoon, open air dancing had broken out at the Market Ground, before more formal affairs took place later on at the Drill Hall, and concerts were given in Kay Gardens.

For the youngsters almost every street gave a party. At one celebration, in Rhode Street, Tottington, the guest of honour was the street's oldest resident, 85-year-old Mrs Naylor.

Aged 10 when the Franco-Prussian War ended, she had lived through three major conflicts, the Boer War, the First World War, and had now seen then end of the Second World War.

By evening the town was recast as the night sky brought to earth as bonfires were set ablaze at Four Lane Ends and across the borough.

Bury Times: Bury's bonfire at Four Lane Ends to mark victory over Japan and peace after the Second World War in 1945. Inset: The Mayor of Bury pushes the button which ignited the huge pile of timber.Bury's bonfire at Four Lane Ends to mark victory over Japan and peace after the Second World War in 1945. Inset: The Mayor of Bury pushes the button which ignited the huge pile of timber.

The Bury Times, published three days after VJ Day, reported that everywhere people were moved to "spontaneous outbursts of gratitude and joy unrestrained".

“Bury people are not easily moved to moods of mass expression, but everyone seemed conscious that this was one of the great moments of history," the report read.

“The pent-up emotions of the last six years ­— only slightly released by the VE celebrations ­— were allowed to flow, and the two VJ Days will forever be remembered by the people.

“There was happiness everywhere, for even those many families who have suffered bereavement through the war were grateful that at long last the strife was o’er.

“In our pride and happiness we have not forgotten the mercies that have been given to us, but during the hectic two days of celebration the mass of the people have not been in a reflective mood.

“We were just content to revel in the knowledge of a victorious peace.

“We crowded together, we danced and we sang together, we paraded the street together.

“You could not escape the flood of goodwill, the all-enveloping desire to be one of many.

“We sang all the old songs, we walked arm in arm throughout the midnight streets, we jostled in public house and in dance halls, we helped to build bonfires and provide for the youngsters.

“All the time the urge to be one of the many all doing the same thing was overpowering.

“We were the victims of a mass psychology ­— the need for an expression of the happiness we all felt.”

Three months earlier Bury had marked Victory in Europe with a mood of jubilant exhilaration, but also one of sober thanksgiving.

Then there was still a war in East to be won, and hundreds of families prayed for the safe return of husbands, sons and relatives fighting and taken as prisoners of war.

The victory over Japan had come suddenly, but not unlooked for, following the dropping of atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

At last the people of Bury could rejoice with "rapturous happiness" unfettered.

Bury Times: Mushroom Clouds from the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima (left) on the 6th and Nagasaki (right) on 9th of August 1945.Mushroom Clouds from the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima (left) on the 6th and Nagasaki (right) on 9th of August 1945.

On the Thursday, Friday and Saturday, celebrations continued apace with more street parties, bonfires, Drill Hall dances and sporting competitions.

Residents were praised for their behaviour and always having remained within bounds throughout the days of festivities.

Police reported no acts of vandalism and it was said that the townspeople had "come through the jubilations with their reputation for being able to enjoy themselves in a seemly fashion, untarnished".

For days the town was brightly decked out in decorations, lights and bunting, after the Corporation had made plans on the Monday to allow people to enjoy themselves to the full.

However, it was a "dry weekend" for the town, as most pubs had sold out of the their quota before closing time on Saturday night.

For parents there was also problem of stocking the bread bin over the holiday and queues formed outside shops.

Many households were short on rations, and there was also a shortage of cigarettes.

These struggles were prescient, for although peace had been secured, prosperity was but a distant dream.

Bury Times: The Mayor of Bury chats with the Rector, Canon Hornby, after the Victory Day thanksgiving service at the Parish Church in 1945The Mayor of Bury chats with the Rector, Canon Hornby, after the Victory Day thanksgiving service at the Parish Church in 1945

Just one month earlier the Labour Party had swept to power in a landslide and it was at their feet that the burden of responsibility of post-war reconstruction fell.

Labour would go on to institute widespread reforms, the expansion of the welfare state, nationalisation of industries and transport, and create the National Health Service.

But Britain's economic situation was desperate, near bankrupted by the costs of war, and unpopular rationing, wartime controls and austerity were forced to endure.

For the people of Bury, however, in the oasis of Victory over Japan Day, none of this mattered. There was a peace to celebrate.

Bury Libraries + Archives have two newspapers for #VJDay75 available on BorrowBox (www.bury.gov.uk/ebooks)

Both are from The Bury Times: 18th August and 22nd August 1945. Read how Bury celebrated both the surrender of Japan and the end of the Second World War.

If you don't have access to BorrowBox you can get access by becoming a library member (www.bury.gov.uk/jointhelibraryonline)