A Cornish author now living in the United States has recalled building a bonfire on May 8 1945 with his best friend - and how the whole town turned out to make the children’s bonfire into a huge celebration.

Richard Hoskin remembers VE Day well. Now living in Kentucky, Richard was born and bred in Liskeard: his father, JC Hoskin, was editor of the Cornish Times. Richard was a boy living in Manley Terrace during the Second World War and he was best of friends with a young evacuee, ’Beezer’ Baynes.

’The BBC news announced that the invasion of France had culminated in the surrender of Germany. Everybody was relieved and happy. We all hoped the war in Asia would soon be over, too,’ he said.

There weren’t any fireworks because all the gunpowder had to be used for the war, so Beezer and I decided that a bonfire in the big field opposite our house might be a good way of celebrating. I had a wooden wagon that my Uncle Dick had made for me, and we went around collecting old planks and scraps of wood and flammable things that people wanted to throw out.

We tried to get some of our friends from school and people from different parts of town to help. Mostly they thought our bonfire wouldn’t amount to much, so they wouldn’t join in. I think they felt they would look foolish if not much came of it.

We asked the Liskeard Silver Band if they would come and play martial music, but they told us most of their bandsmen were away at the war, and anyway they could only play on official occasions.

So we plugged away. People started bringing more wood to add to the pile, and by the time VE Day arrived it was about twelve feet in height.

The pile got so big that the mayor decided he would come and make a speech and officially light it himself, which he did when it got dark. Lots of people came not only from the town but also from a long way away, including sailors from Devonport and Land Girls (who helped on the farms) from their hostel at Pencubitt. Everybody sang “God Save the King” and then other patriotic songs like “Rule Brittania” and “Land of Hope and Glory” (although if you listened closely to what my sisters were singing it sounded more like land of soap and water). The celebrations went on late into the evening and even after I had to go to bed.’

This story and other tales about Liskeard and its characters are told in Richard’s latest book, Memoirs While Memory Lasts, available via Amazon. Copies of Richard's books can also be found at Liskeard Library.