Forces put best foot forward as personnel prepare at Pirbright for VE Day 80 parade

With just days to go until the UK marks 80 years since the end of the Second World War in Europe, Armed Forces personnel have been putting their final preparations in place for a major moment of commemoration.

Around 1,000 people from across all three services have been taking part in final rehearsals at Army Training Centre Pirbright ahead of the military procession in London on Monday.

Flying Officer Scott Ring of the RAF Regiment is one of the marshals for the RAF marching contingents.

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"I just have to make sure that everybody stays in step and stays in the right line and goes in the right direction," he said of their drill.

"I'm very excited. It's my first ceremonial event with the squadron because I'm recently out of my training. So this is a great introduction to what they get up to."

With temperatures high, Fg Off Ring pointed out how proper hydration was of paramount importance for the wellbeing of those on parade.

"Out here in the sun, it's quite difficult," he said." I mean you're all stood still, but you're all stood still with the sun beating down on top of you.

"So you're desperate to get away for a drink of water if you can. But they're going well so far. Everybody's ironing out the kinks."

Monday's VE Day 80 parade will see them march from Parliament Square up Whitehall and down The Mall to Buckingham Palace.

Lieutenant Ben Streeter of the Royal Navy said the parade would be emotional because of what VE Day represented back in 1945.

He said: "I will be thinking about the sacrifice that my family, [and] everyone else, the sacrifices that they made both at home and abroad, and the people that made the ultimate sacrifice and didn't come home, sadly.

"It's certainly a spectacular thing to be a part of, and to be wearing the same uniform that our ancestors did and our forebears did, marching down The Mall, recognising 80 years of VE."

Everyone needs to be foot-perfect on the day, so the rehearsal at Pirbright was an opportunity to test timings, fine-tune formations and take in the scale of what lies ahead.