08 May 2025
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Leading genealogy companies Ancestry and MyHeritage are providing free access to essential family history record collections, and Family Tree magazine is sharing its' commemorative issue free, to help people trace their family heroes. Plus find links to 2 useful VE Day tie-in podcast. These events mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, 8 May.
Above: Sue Webb attends Ancestry’s Table of History to see her grandfather commemorated for his role in WWII as a Doctor within a Surgical team on London’s Southbank.
How to find out about Ancestry records?
To mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Ancestry held a commemorative tea, see photos, with bespoke commemorative plates above. To help us all trace the lives and service of our Second World War ancestors, Ancestry are making key record collections freely available until 11 May 2025.
To find out more and explore the record collections, please visit https://www.ancestry.co.uk/c/ve-day
How to find out about MyHeritage records?
MyHeritage, in a similar vein, are providing free access to key military collections in their digital archives, also until 11 May 2025. Find out more here: https://www.myheritage.com/research/catalog/category-3000/military
Tune in to The National Archives' VE Day podcast
To hear experts' share views and research into that first VE Day, 80 years ago, please tune in to The National Archives, On The Record, podcast here.
Read Family Tree's VE Day special issue free
Find out how you can enjoy our commemorative issue of Family Tree (the May 2025 issue of our monthly family history magazine) for free, see here.
Tune into the Family Tree podcast with VE memories & discussion of why family history matters
Find the episode in which Family Tree editor Helen Tovey and designer Nathan Ward speak about tracing ancestors' experiences in the VE Day era here.
