The witnesses: second world war survivors from across Europe share their stories

On the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war in Europe, survivors, including veterans from both sides, remember what happened

Eighty years ago today, on 8 May 1945, the second world war in Europe came to an end with the unconditional surrender of Germany's armed forces. The number of people who remember the war - and how it finished - decreases every year, even as European security feels ever more precarious.

Here, seven people, aged between 85 and 100, from Estonia, Poland, Britain, Germany and Romania, talk to the Guardian about their memories.

Dorothea is a passionate supporter of the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans and recently launched its Our Heroes Fund, to raise money for future trips for veterans to the continent and across the UK.