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Victory Parade Newcastle upon Tyne 8 June 1946

As the shadow of the Cold War looms over Europe, Newcastle celebrates the soldiers and civilians who helped win the fight against fascism.

Amateur film 1946 12 mins Silent

From the collection of:

Logo for North East Film Archive

Overview

Along the route of the Newcastle Victory parade, held a year after VE Day was officially declared, soldiers in the British, Allied and Commonwealth Forces, and civilians such as the Land Army girls who fought on the home front, receive a tumultuous welcome. The machines and weaponry that won World War Two are also on show, along with tributes to the role of local industries – miners with a “Coal Spells Victory” slogan and women workers on the Reyrolle engineering float.

The miners marching in this parade would soon (on 1 January1947) marvel at unveiled plaques, which proclaimed “This colliery is now managed by the National Coal Board on behalf of the people.” The new post-war Labour government under Clement Attlee began to introduce a modern welfare state and nationalised many industries, including coal mining. Also in 1946, former Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivered his famous “iron curtain” speech in the United States, which is considered to mark the beginning of the Cold War. The Soviet Union did not send Red Army representatives to take part in the main London Victory Parade attended by the Royal family, Attlee and Churchill.