A Silent Witness to Victory in Europe
As the guns fell silent across Europe and crowds filled the streets to celebrate VE Day on May 8, 1945, Walter Whenday recorded the moment not with fanfare, but in his usual quiet, handwritten reflections. Walter - a deaf and dumb bootmaker — kept a diary for 69 years and during those final, historic days of World War II, he captured perfectly both the everyday rhythms of life and the momentous happenings of the world around him.
His entries, brief and observant, offer a unique and deeply personal glimpse into the end of the global conflict. I wanted to share some of his diary entries from the final days of April through to VE Day itself—as they record the days leading up to peace and recorded from the perspective of someone who saw everything, even if he heard none of it.
Sunday, April 29, 1945
“It was cold all day. There were intervals of sunshine. Stayed at home.
So it’s goodbye to the blackout curtains at last. Already the night streets sparkle and shine with light from uncovered windows.”
After nearly six years of darkness - both literally and symbolically— I think this entry captures a profound moment.
Monday, April 30, 1945
“There was a heavy snowfall this morning. It was still cold. Repaired shoes. Cycled to Hampton this afternoon.
Himmler’s offer of unconditional surrender to Britain and America opens up a new hope.”
Each scrap of news read in the papers led to a growing hope that peace was finally on the horizon.
Tuesday, May 1, 1945
“Sunny intervals. Frosty night. Went to Tonbridge to get leather. Worked till teatime. Wrote to Polly.”
Wednesday, May 2, 1945
“The German army in Italy has capitulated. This is wonderful news, even in these days of glad and wondrous tidings. Berlin has fallen to the Russians.”
Saturday, May 5, 1945
“It is triumph day for Field Marshall Montgomery and his men. They have beaten the Hun to his knees along the whole of their front and have written ‘Finis’ to the German Reich.”
With Churchillian flourish, Walter records the dramatic fall of Nazi Germany.
Sunday, May 6, 1945
“D. Foster has been freed from his prison camp in Germany and arrived at Hadlow yesterday.”
The safe return of a local man brought the war’s end into real focus; despite the importance of global events, local joys mattered deeply
Monday, May 7, 1945
“Summer weather returned today. There was a blaze of sunshine and a rising temperature.”
A quiet moment, but no less significant. It’s as if even the sky was beginning reflecting a world ready to feel joy again.
Tuesday, May 8, 1945 – VE Day
“It’s peace again in Europe. Germany has surrendered unconditionally by land, air and sea. Today is VE Day — the day for which the British people have fought and endured for five years, eight months and four days of war.
The vapour trails of the Battle of Britain, the moan of the sirens, the crack of the guns, the crump of the bombs, the VI and V2. The organ phrases of Churchill, the miracles of Dunkirk, the great victories of the Royal Navy, the glorious Eighth under Alexander and Montgomery. For Mr. Churchill this historic day marks the happy climax of his great premiership.
VE Day is in large measure Churchill’s Day.”
This final entry on VE Day itself is a deeply moving tribute — not just to victory, but to everything that came before it, It reads like a eulogy for the years of struggle, written by someone who saw it all unfold without ever hearing a bomb, a cheer, or a single speech.
Walter’s diary entries, though penned in silence, speak volumes. In just a few lines, he documented the shift from the stresses of wartime to post-war relief with remarkable clarity and quiet eloquence. His words remind us that history isn’t only made by generals and governments — it’s remembered and recorded by everyday people, too. And in Walter’s case, with extraordinary grace.