The London Victory Parade of 1946

Historian Jennifer Grant recounts the events of the London Victory Parade of 1946, including the complex politics surrounding which ‘allies’ were included.

A year after the Second World War had come to an end, the London Victory Parade was an opportunity for the British people to express their gratitude to all who had contributed to Allied victory, from servicemen and women to those who had operated in auxiliary and civilian roles.

On 8 June 1946, two columns proceeded through the streets of bomb-damaged London, passing the saluting base on The Mall where Prime Minister Clement Attlee and his wartime predecessor Winston Churchill stood together.

It was a highly publicised event, but one which has fallen out of popular memory. This is in part because the Parade took place in the foothills of the Cold War. Former allies were hardening into enemies, and scrutiny of the war record of close friends was sometimes best avoided. The evolving diplomatic definition of who to consider an ‘ally’ led to some surprises on the guest list.

In this talk, Jennifer Grant will explore the context and legacies of what remains a controversial episode in modern Anglo-Polish history.

About the speaker

Jennifer Grant is a postgraduate researcher at Queen Mary University of London. After studying Modern History at Oxford, she undertook an MA at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies. Her current research focuses on alliance-building and the challenges of honouring the Anglo-Polish Alliance both in wartime Britain and in the post-war world.

She has recently edited the first English translation of the memoirs of General Stanisław Maczek: 'The Price of Victory: The Memoir of the Commander of the 1st Polish Armoured Division'.