Royal Mail marks the 80th anniversary of VE Day with stamps honouring war heroes
Some of the remarkable men and women who made exceptional contributions to the war effort have been honoured in a set of stamps released by Royal Mail.
The 10 stamps in the Valour and Victory series acknowledges the work they did, both at home and behind enemy lines, with singer Dame Vera Lynn leading the lineup.
"Royal Mail is proud to issue these stamps honouring the courage, sacrifice and resilience of those who fought for freedom and peace," said CEO Emma Gilthorpe.
Each of the 10 stamps shows a person in their individual wartime role - including a pilot, a nurse, a codebreaker, an engineer and a firefighter.
"Behind every victory of a nation, there are countless unsung heroes whose courage and sacrifice shaped the future of the world," Ms Gilthorpe added.
"On VE Day, we remember not only the leaders and generals, but the silent warriors whose contributions echo through history."
One stamp features Bhanbhagta Gurung, who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery under heavy fire while fighting in Burma (now Myanmar) with the Gurkha Rifles in March 1945.
Another depicts Lilian Bader, who joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force in 1944 and became one of the first members to qualify to repair aircraft flight instruments, a vital role during wartime.
Also acknowledged are George Arthur Roberts, the first black man to join the London Auxiliary Fire Service in 1938, serving throughout the Blitz, and Mary Morris, a nurse who helped injured troops returning from Dunkirk and treated casualties of the D-Day landings.
RAF pilot Mahinder Singh Pujji is also remembered on a commemorative stamp for his brave dogfights with Luftwaffe fighter planes.
He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his outstanding courage and leadership while flying over Japanese-occupied territory.
Civil engineer Thomas Peirson Frank is featured for the work he did to repair over 100 breaches of the river Thames in London, caused by German air raids.
He became known as the man who saved the capital from drowning.
Also featured is Commando Tommy Macpherson, who is remembered for his audacious actions behind enemy lines in North Africa, which led to his capture.
He later escaped and went on to play a key role in the Resistance in central France in 1944.
Violette Szabó, who volunteered as a Special Operations Executive and worked undercover in occupied France, is also portrayed.
She was taken prisoner in 1944 and sent to the Ravensbrück Concentration Camp where she was executed.
John Harrison, who served in the Royal Navy on the destroyer HMS Belfast, is also honoured - alongside codebreaker William Tutte, who famously decrypted the Lorenz cipher, a German code used for top-level communication and intelligence.
But it is Dame Vera Lynn who steals the show, with four stamps acknowledging her tireless efforts to support troops during WW2, as well as her advocacy for military veterans.
They show various aspects of her wartime career - an Entertainments National Service Association performance, singing on a BBC radio programme and on a morale-boosting visit to British troops.
The stamps are already on sale and Royal Mail says it will also use a special VE80 postmark on all mail during the week of the anniversary, 8 May.
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