VE Day 80th Anniversary: Celebrating Veterans at the Cartoon Museum
As the UK marks the 80th anniversary of VE Day, the Cartoon Museum is stepping up to honour the veterans who shaped history with a new exhibition. 'After the Darkness' features a special focus on veterans living with sight loss, in collaboration with Blind Veterans UK, ensuring that their stories are seen, heard, and felt. If you love comics and history, then you don't want to miss this!
After the Darkness
22 April - 29 June
'After the Darkness' is a special display to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day. The exhibit, arranged in partnership with Blind Veterans UK, seeks to shine a light on the veterans' service and raise awareness of the challenges faced by veterans living with sight loss. The artworks on display portray the VE Day memories of 13 ex-service personnel and their personal stories brought to life through wonderful, evocative recreations drawn by illustrator and long-term supporter of Blind Veterans UK, Martin Impey.
The exhibit runs from 22 April to 29 June. The Cartoon Museum are offering a special discount on entry tickets for current and ex-armed forces personnel during the exhibit's run.
From the Archives: World War II
Thursday 8 May
10:30 - 5:30, free entry with admission ticket
Join the Cartoon Museum on 8 May for a special event to mark VE Day's 80th anniversary. During the day, they will be delving into our archive to show visitors rarely-seen cartoons from the Second World War, and will be hosted by Churchill War Rooms volunteer Paul Dennis.
Comic Home: Panel Discussion
Thursday 28 June
Doors 6:30pm for a 7pm start
Coming Home is a life story anthology comic sharing veterans' mental health stories. Issue 2 was published in 2025 and features the powerful true stories of five LGBTQ+ members of the British Armed Forces. The comic has been co-created by Arts in Health organisation, Re-Live, working in partnership with the LGBTQ+ veterans charity Fighting With Pride.
To celebrate the publication of Issue 2 of Coming Home, during the 25th anniversary year of the lifting of the 'gay ban' in the Armed Forces, the Cartoon Museum are proud to host a panel discussion exploring the process of making this timely comic.
