10 glimpses of Herefordshire's past

We kick it off this week with a look at 10 images of VE Day in Hereford - marking this year's 70th anniversary of the end of war in Europe, and the celebrations which took place on May 8-9, 1945.

The photographs were taken by Hereford businessman CH 'Tony' Williams who was a keen amateur photographer and documented life in Herefordshire in the 1940s.

Mr Williams left his treasure trove of thousands of images with his daughter Dr Maureen Beauchamp who has kindly provided them for the Hereford Times to publish.

Her father was a precision engineer who came to Hereford from London as works manager of Barronia Metals during the Second World War. The firm made parts for aeroplanes and were relocated from London to Hereford’s Widemarsh Street after the War Ministry requisitioned the Fryers Garage premises.

Mr Williams later became a director of Bullen & Partners who published the Citizen & Bulletin in Herefordshire and he regularly took pictures of the county’s people and places for the newspaper.

So here's our first collection of his pictures - VE Day in Hereford:

1.

Party in Portland Street - May 8

2.

Soldiers singing in High Town

3. 

Berrington Street tea party

4.

R.A.F. and Wrens liven up Widemarsh Street

5.

Ross Road, Redhill tea party

6.

Raising a glass to to the end of the Second World War

7.

Church Street tea party

8.

Chestnut Drive tea party - children chatting to soldiers

9.

Widemarsh Street school tea party

10.

Celebrations in High Town

And we have many, many more wonderful images of Herefordshire over the years in our popular History Times gallery.