麻豆社

Barbara Williams spent much of her early childhood moving from place to place in rural areas of the north-east to avoid the bombings on Tyneside.

But on VE day, she was back living in a rented flat in Newcastle and a young teenage girl looking for adventure. Determined to celebrate in style on VE Day, she headed into Woolworth鈥檚 and purchased the biggest pair of buttons she could find, and attaching them to a pair of clips; she made some gaudy earrings.

Complete with new earrings, she sneaked out of the house with some school friends and headed into Newcastle to a party taking place at Grey鈥檚 Monument in the heart of the city. Her evening was spent dancing around the monument with every man that asked her. As the evening progressed her earrings hurt more and more although there was nothing that would have induced her to take them off.

She says it was a night of great happiness and exhilaration and she has absolutely no idea how she got home!

Image: A young Barbara