Royal Marine Richard D Emerson, sitting on his bunk bed, writes a letter home.
IWM (A 14276)
Royal Marine Richard D Emerson writes a letter home, January 1943.

IWM, in partnership with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, invites schoolchildren and young people across the UK to learn about the Second World War, by sharing letters sent to, and from, their relatives during the war.

During the Second World War, letters eased the pain of separation for both military personnel and civilians. If your relatives were part of the VE and VJ Day generation, we would love to hear from you. Photographs of the letters containing first-hand testimonies of the Second World War can be uploaded to the official UK government VE and VJ Day website.

These stories will be displayed in an online gallery, to shine a light on the personal accounts of those who were there — from soldiers, sailors and airmen on the front lines to the men, women and children on the home front. A live performance was hosted at IWM North on 7 May 2025, featuring letters sent in by the public.

Submit your letter

Link will open the external UK Government 'Letters to Loved Ones' website.

Explore some of the letters submitted so far and uncover the stories people have been sharing on the Letters to Loved Ones website. 

Remember The End of the Second World War

Smiling civilians and service personnel link arms in London's Piccadilly Circus celebrating news of Allied Victory over Japan in August 1945.
IWM (D 25636)
Civilians and service personnel in London's Piccadilly Circus celebrate the news of Allied Victory over Japan in August 1945.

On 15 August, IWM will commemorate 80 years since VJ (Victory over Japan) Day, when Imperial Japan announced its surrender to the Allies, bringing the most devastating conflict in human history to an end. We invite you to join us for a period of reflection, commemoration, and celebration.

Find out more

Reflections on the end of the Second World War

IWM's collections include first-hand accounts of those that lived, fought and died during the most devastating conflict in history.

Explore some of these stories below. 

Jubilant Crowds, St Peter Port
Second World War

Letters from evacuated children of the Second World War

The Hill family from Guernsey were separated by the Second World War. They found there was one way of hearing news about their children and other family members who had left Guernsey. IWM curator Simon Offord discusses how brief letters kept this family connected through their wartime separation.

Room 60 in the Cabinet War Rooms. © IWM MH 531.
© IWM MH 531
Second World War

Women of the Cabinet War Rooms: Peggy Cochrane

A series of handwritten letters donated to IWM by the family of one of the women of the War Rooms shines a light on life, love, and historic events, like VE Day, that the women of the War Rooms were witness to.

Letters from Edith Florence Cochrane, known as 'Peggy', offer a fascinating insight into her work life and her experiences of the VE Day celebrations in Whitehall, encapsulating the joyous excitement and atmosphere of the momentous day. 

VE Day colour photograph crowds on Whitehall by cenotaph 1945 Imperial War Museums archive licensing
©IWM
Second World War

Reflections on Victory: Memories of VE Day

In Britain the end of the Second World War in Europe was announced by the BBC in the evening of 7th May 1945. The 8th May was designated Victory in Europe – or VE – Day, and together with the following day was declared a national holiday. Discover letters and diaries from IWM’s archives written by people who recorded their experiences of this momentous historical event.