After 75 years, a Watford man who was just a child as crowds gathered in the street to celebrate the Victory in Europe (VE Day) still looks back to that particular moment as a pinnacle of joy in his childhood.

Keith Smith, 83, admits that at the time of the celebrations on May 8, 1945, it was difficult to fully comprehend the significance of the moment when Germany formally surrendered.

On VE Day, Mr Smith was just eight, but was bewildered with the rush of festivities being held near his childhood house on Sutton Road.

He said: “It was brilliant, I suppose at eight the significance hadn’t sunk in, but as I got older I grew and started to realise what this had meant.”

Of course, Mr Smith was well aware that the world had been in crisis within that period, as he spent much time in an air raid shelter and recalls one bombing which had damaged a road just opposite of Sutton Road.

But there was an indescribable level of excitement, as he saw people of young ages and even up to a nun in her 80s, all gathering around to set up an unforgettable street party celebration.

He recalls: “The whole street had made an effort, during those times there were still rations and we couldn’t get much choice, so we had plain fish paste sandwiches and all the mums had made a cake, while all the dads brought out their tables from their houses.”

While to some the limited palette available might not sound like a typical choice for a celebratory occasion, it was something the entire street were excited to enjoy.

His father, while too old to serve the frontline, was part of the ‘Dad’s Army’ as the last line of defence.

After the death of his father in later years, he was passed on war relics and family souvenirs which was passed from his grandfather, to his father and then to himself.

But the celebrations were important as they marked a new future for Mr Smith. He recalls that it was only after VE Day that he managed to eat his first banana, which may sound like a small thing but it was astonishing to him at the time.

Years later as part of the National Service, Mr Smith joined the army himself.

He concluded: “I quite often go through the photographs in my photo album, and I heard on the radio this year will mark 75 years and it felt important to share this.”