VE Day Flags – Union Jack, Bunting & Allied Flags

VE Day, 8 May

VE Day, Victory in Europe Day, is 8 May, and on Saturday 8 May 2027 it marks 82 years since the end of the Second World War in Europe. Germany’s unconditional surrender was signed at Reims in the early hours of 7 May 1945 and took effect on 8 May. At 3pm that afternoon Winston Churchill told the country on the wireless that the war in Europe was over, crowds filled Whitehall and the Mall, and King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, the two princesses and Churchill came out on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Up and down the country people strung bunting across the street, put the Union Jack in the window and held the street parties that every VE Day commemoration still copies. The war with Japan went on until VJ Day in August 1945.

How VE Day is marked now

Big anniversaries get national events: the 75th in 2020 and the 80th in 2025 had beacons, services, flypasts and a moved bank holiday or a long weekend of street parties. In the years between, VE Day is kept by Royal British Legion branches, churches, schools, care homes, pubs and village halls, with a service or a two-minute silence, a 1940s tea party with music from the period, and a Union Jack on the flagpole. 8 May 2027 is a Saturday, which suits a street party, a fete or an afternoon tea in the garden.

VE Day flags

The flag of VE Day is the Union Jack, the same design in 1945 as today. It comes in 20x12in, 3ft x 2ft, 5ft x 3ft and 8ft x 5ft, with the heavy-grade Union Jack DuraFlag for a pole that flies it all year; more designs are in the Union Jack hub. The home nations’ flags, the St George’s Cross, the Saltire, the Welsh dragon and the Northern Ireland flag, fly alongside it. For a 1940s theme, the Keep Calm and Carry On Union Jack flag and the red Keep Calm and Carry On flag use the 1939 Ministry of Information poster slogan, and the Britain Remembers flag suits a service or a memorial.

Flags of the Allies

Many VE Day events fly the flags of the countries that fought alongside Britain. The 48-star USA flag is the Stars and Stripes as it was in 1945, before Alaska and Hawaii; the modern 50-star USA flag is also stocked. The USSR flag, the red flag with hammer, sickle and star, is the flag of the Soviet Union, which marks Victory Day on 9 May because the surrender took effect after midnight Moscow time. The French tricolour, the Poland flag for the Polish forces who fought from Britain, the Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, Czech and Greece flags cover the occupied countries, and the Commonwealth is represented by the Australia, New Zealand and Canada flags. Canada’s maple leaf dates from 1965; in 1945 Canadians served under the Red Ensign, but the maple leaf is the flag used to mark Canada’s part today.

Forces and commemoration flags

For a Legion branch, a cadet unit or a memorial service, the British Army flag, the Royal Navy’s White Ensign, the RAF Ensign and the merchant navy’s Red Ensign honour each service. The Lest We Forget and Poppy flags are for the act of remembrance, and every regiment and corps is in British military flags. The D-Day page covers the Normandy landings of June 1944.

VE Day bunting for the street party

Union Jack bunting is the bunting of every VE Day photograph and starts at £9.98. The Union Jack triangle bunting is the pennant shape for a tea party, and red, white and blue triangle bunting fills the gaps between Union Jacks. For a street, the Union Jack giant bunting has oversized pennants on an 18.25m length, enough to cross most residential roads with room to tie off. Keep Calm and Carry On bunting and Lest We Forget bunting suit a 1940s or a commemorative theme. As a rule, allow one 9m length per side of a hall, or two 18.25m giant lengths for each crossing of a street.

Hand flags and table flags

Union Jack hand flags on wooden sticks are the ones for children at the street party, the school assembly and the parade, with St George and USA hand flags alongside. For the tea tables, the Union Jack table flag comes with a base, and the satin Union Jack table flag suits a dinner or a reception. The Union Jack car flag clips to a window for a vintage vehicle run.

VE Day flag FAQs

Popular in this collection

• Union Jack Flag (20x12in to 8x5ft)from £5.99
• Union Jack Buntingfrom £9.98
• Union Jack Giant Bunting18.25m
• Union Jack Hand Flagswooden stick
• Union Jack Table Flag with Base6x4in
• Keep Calm and Carry On Flag1940s style
• USA 48 Stars Flag (1912–1959)as flown in 1945
• White Ensign FlagRoyal Navy