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VE Day 80 in pictures - Hampshire and Isle of Wight

Southampton City Council A burning beacon. In the foreground is a man in a tricorn hat.Southampton City Council
Southampton's beacon was at Holyrood Church, which was destroyed during the Blitz in 1940

VE Day celebrations came to a close across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight on Thursday with beacon lighting ceremonies across the two counties.

Scores of memorial services were held and a two-minute silence at midday marked 80 years since the end of World War Two in Europe.

Hundreds of people also turned out for parades, afternoon teas and concerts during the day of festivities.

In Southampton, the lord mayor hosted afternoon tea in the Civic Centre and in Bishop's Waltham, revellers armed with camping chairs and picnics filled the palace ruins for the beacon lighting ceremony.

Cowes Town Council Hundreds of people gathered behind barriers at the beacon ceremony. To the right of the photo is the burning beacon - a metal basket of burning wood on top of a pillar.Cowes Town Council
Hundreds turned out for the beacon lighting ceremony in Cowes
Rushmoor Borough Council A row of people, in suits and military uniforms holding large flags in front of a burning beacon. Hundreds of people are gathered behind barriers in the background.Rushmoor Borough Council
Hundreds gathered in Manor Park, Aldershot, for an evening of music and remembrance
Scores of people sitting at long tables filled with plates and food. Many are wearing red, white and blue garlands around their necks and the paper plates are printed with the union flag.
Bembridge Village Hall was decked out in red, white and blue as residents gathered to share a celebratory afternoon tea
HM Naval Base Portsmouth Lines of military personnel lined up in a parade ground. A group to the left is wearing khaki green uniforms and a group to the right is wearing blue.HM Naval Base Portsmouth
Sailors and Royal Marines Portsmouth Naval Base joined the two-minute silence at noon to mark the end of World War Two in Europe
Southampton City Council Dozens of people sitting around large round tables in a grand room decorated with marble, large gold-framed paintings and chandeliers.Southampton City Council
The Lord Mayor of Southampton hosted an afternoon tea in the mayor's reception room in the city's Civic Centre
A ruined stone building surrounded by scores of people sitting in picnic chairs.
In Bishop's Waltham, residents brought picnics to the palace ruins for the evening beacon lighting ceremony, where a brass band played wartime music

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